Liverpool fans are still reeling from confirmation that Trent Alexander-Arnold is imminently leaving Anfield, but Real Madrid could already planning a similar assault on Ibrahima Konate a new report has claimed.
Alexander-Arnold will likely join Madrid as a free agent in the coming weeks. The right-back could potentially command a nominal transfer fee that would allow him to link up with his new teammates slightly sooner and be involved in the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup.
Some fans at Anfield during Sunday’s Premier League made their feelings on the right-back clear, booing as his name was read out pre-game and then again when he was brought on as a substitute in the second half. But it was a situation that was a few years in the making, with initial contract talks delayed from the summer of 2023, Alexander-Arnold going on to explore his other options, and then deciding that a new challenge was the best even after Liverpool offered a big pay rise.
The worry from a Liverpool perspective is that Real Madrid have set a precedent that works.
The club waited for Kylian Mbappe to become a free agent in 2024 and were hoping to recruit Leny Yoro in a similar way this year, until Manchester United blew them out of the water last summer.
Madrid are hoping to sign Dean Huijsen, whose release clause caps his transfer fee at £50m (€59m) and can be paid in three instalments. But, according to AS, even a successful pursuit of the 20-year-old wouldn’t make the club “forget” Liverpool centre-back Konate, whose current deal expires in 2026.
Madrid have been masking problems in the centre of defence for too long and need to address the long-term future. Antonio Rudiger, who has undergone surgery after playing through “severe pain” for much of this campaign, and David Alaba will both turn 33 at their next birthday, while Eder Militao is currently sidelined with a second ACL tear in as many seasons.
Soon to be 26, Konate is entering what ought to be the peak years of his career and there are no guarantees, as has been the case with Alexander-Arnold, that he will sign a new Liverpool contract.
