Real Madrid has decided that if a player leaves, more money must be invested in defense. It has been their biggest expense in this transfer window, but it seems to be insufficient, and Xabi Alonso himself expressed the need to sign a new center back this summer if possible. In response to this request, the name of Ibrahima Konaté has emerged as the leading option. In response to the interest from the Whites, Liverpool has responded with a renewal offer on the table, and this may not be the only problem for Florentino Pérez with this deal. It has been revealed that there is competition in the bidding for the French center back.
Konaté likes Real Madrid
The doubts surrounding the Whites’ defense have led the club to consider turning to the transfer market. Ibrahima Konaté is very popular with Real Madrid, who are moving forward to sign the player using the same formula used with Trent Alexander-Arnold, i.e., he will arrive for free next summer when his contract with Liverpool expires. That was the initial plan, but once the Club World Cup is over and after seeing the defensive line, the Merengues could make a move sooner than expected and launch an offer this summer, as the English team is open to cashing in on the deal and not being left with nothing in a few months.
Liverpool are open to talks, but they are clear that they will not give him away for free, and to date there has been talk that Florentino would be willing to put €20-25 million on the table to bring him in this summer. However, the Reds would want to get at least €50 million for the deal.
Liverpool respond
On the other hand, Liverpool are not only thinking about a substantial transfer fee, but are also fighting back to try to keep the player in their ranks. They continue to use the image of the center back, to whom they dedicated a video on social media, while offering him a new contract to prevent him from leaving for Real Madrid. This is according to Foot Mercato, which explains that the English team does not want a repeat of the Trent Alexander-Arnold case. Konaté has not yet responded to the offer, but the center back seems quite convinced to move on.
Bayern and Barça also in the race
As if dealing with a renewal offer from Liverpool and the financial demands for a transfer from the English club were not enough, Real Madrid now faces a new setback in signing the center back: competition.
Caughtoffside claims that other teams, such as Bayern and Barcelona, are interested in the French center back. According to the aforementioned media outlet, both Barcelona and Bayern have also expressed interest in Konaté’s situation. Both teams, like Real Madrid, consider Liverpool’s asking price of €50 million to be excessive, given that he will be a free agent in a few months.
In principle, the player’s decision not to renew seems firm and his path points to the Santiago Bernabéu, but we will have to see what happens now with these new agents in the equation.