Liverpool is hoping to profit from the defender.
According to Xabi Alonso, Real Madrid is still seeking to add players to their first team this summer. They seem to have a certain goal in mind, as they are still “open” to making changes.
After Los Blancos’ crushing 4-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup semi-final this week, questions were raised.
Uncharacteristic mistakes by Antonio Rudiger and Raul Asencio gave PSG an early two-goal lead, and Los Blancos may have had an ugly scoreline if it weren’t for goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
Manager Xabi Alonso was candid about their position in the summer market when he spoke after the full-time whistle.
“We haven’t talked about it during the Club World Cup but from now on we’re open to making improvements,” he stated. “We are always looking to improve and there’s room for improvement.”
Under Alonso, Dean Huijsen—who cost an estimated £50 million to acquire from Bournemouth this summer—will probably start frequently, but his center-back partner is still up in the air because David Alaba and Eder Militao are still having fitness problems.
Although Madrid’s first team currently has five center backs, the position is thought to require reinforcement. Ibrahima Konate, please step forward.
As to the Spanish daily AS, Konate is reportedly interested in a summer transfer to Madrid and has no plans to sign a new deal with Premier League winners Liverpool.
According to reports, Liverpool is willing to pay for Konate in order to prevent a recurrence of the Trent Alexander-Arnold drama.
The Spanish team reportedly wants to sign Konate as a free agent in the summer of next year, but they may make a move during this window if a defender is sold, as David Alaba is mentioned in the article.
Madrid, on the other hand, is prepared to spend little more than €20–25 million [£17.2-21.5 million] on Konate this summer.
‘Disappointed’ by Liverpool’s contract offer, Ibrahima Konate
Konate was ‘disappointed’ by Liverpool’s contract offer, according to a report published in The Guardian last month. Since the offer was mostly dependent on achieving specific performance goals, his agents were reportedly arguing for a bigger base pay.
According to reports, Liverpool’s focus on negotiating with Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah delayed a new deal.
For £36 million, Konate left Bundesliga team RB Leipzig for Liverpool in the summer of 2021. He has participated in 132 club games, including 42 appearances in all competitions during the previous campaign under Arne Slot.
xz
