Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konaté avoided directly answering a question about the possibility of joining Real Madrid in a free transfer after the end of the current season, similar to the transfer of “Trent Alexander-Arnold” and “Kylian Mbappé” to the Royal team.
Konaté’s contract, who is 26 years old, will expire on June 30, without an agreement to renew it, which has raised a lot of speculation about his future.
On the eve of the Azerbaijan-France match, scheduled for tomorrow, Sunday, in Baku, Konaté was asked about rumors of his departure from Liverpool and his move to Real Madrid, and he replied: “I have seen many of those rumors. My agents are still negotiating with Liverpool, and I will make a decision, and I hope to announce it very soon.”
The French defender has suffered from fluctuating form this season, and has been criticized after his performance in Liverpool’s 3-0 loss to Manchester City in the English Premier League, where he caused a penalty that Haaland missed before the player himself scored the first goal.
In the French national team, coach Didier Deschamps did not start Konaté in the match against Ukraine, which ended with a 4-0 victory for Les Bleus. However, he may get a chance to play in the next match, which is not very important after securing qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
Not the only one
Konaté is not the only option for Real Madrid in the defense, as there is also his French teammate Dayot Upamecano, Bayern Munich defender, whose contract also expires at the end of the current season.
With Rüdiger and Alaba getting older, Real Madrid is planning to sign a new defender, preferably through a free transfer.
Despite Real Madrid’s interest in Konaté, French reports revealed that the deal is complicated, due to Liverpool’s attachment to the player, and its readiness to offer a large financial offer to renew with him.
The “Foot Mercato” network indicated that Liverpool refuses to give up, and considers Konaté a fundamental element in its defensive project.
With the difficulty of signing Konaté, Real Madrid began to turn its attention towards Upamecano. Reports stated that Florentino Pérez, president of the Royal team, has been impressed by the French defender for a long time, and sees him as the ideal option to strengthen the back line.
Upamecano’s contract expires next June, while negotiations with Bayern Munich are facing great difficulties due to its high financial demands, as the player and his agent stipulate obtaining a huge salary, and a renewal bonus of up to 17 million euros, which contradicts the Bavarian club’s policy.
Financial disputes
Max Eberl, Bayern Munich’s sporting director, confirmed that the club wants Upamecano to stay, but implicitly acknowledged the existence of financial disputes.
At the same time, voices within the Bavarian administration are calling for the financial policy not to be sacrificed for one player, even if it leads to his departure for free.
The competition is becoming more complicated with Paris Saint-Germain entering the fray, as the French club is monitoring the developments of the defenders’ file, and considers signing Upamecano in particular an ideal opportunity in the event of his departure for free.
French reports revealed that Ousmane Dembélé, Upamecano’s close friend since childhood, tried to convince him to join Paris next summer.
Liverpool is also monitoring Upamecano’s situation in anticipation of Konaté’s departure, as the German newspaper “Bild” stated that the English club may turn to Upamecano to compensate for his compatriot, which could make the deal indirectly reciprocal.
As for Barcelona, reports stated that it admires Konaté’s abilities, but it is not leading the race due to its current financial situation.
Real Madrid is monitoring the situation quietly, and is ready to move at the right moment if renewal negotiations fail with either Konaté or Upamecano.
Spanish sources confirm that the Royal club is convinced that one of the defenders will end up at the “Santiago Bernabéu”, especially in light of the team’s need to renew blood, and find a long-term replacement for Alaba and Rüdiger.
Real Madrid continues to rely on the policy of signing stars through free transfer deals, as it recently did with “Arnold” and “Mbappé”, and before that with Rüdiger and Alaba, as it believes that these deals give it high technical value without large financial costs.
For its part, Liverpool realizes that losing Konaté for nothing would be a severe blow, especially with the injury of new arrival Giovanni Leone with a cruciate ligament rupture.
The team currently has only three ready defenders: Van Dijk, Konaté, and Gomez, which makes the administration forced to move quickly.
With the end of the season approaching, the conflict between Real Madrid, Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich is intensifying over the future of the French duo, in one of the hottest files in the transfer market.
While Bayern is trying to renew Upamecano’s contract, and Liverpool is seeking to keep Konaté, Real Madrid remains the biggest beneficiary of any failure in negotiations, and is ready to complete a free deal that strengthens its defense for years.
It seems clear that next summer will witness a major change in the center-back positions of the big European teams, and Upamecano or Konaté may be the focus of that transformation.
