Real Madrid have secured an agreement with Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate as they look to get the signing over the line, according to reports.
The Reds have already lost one star player to Real Madrid this summer with Trent Alexander-Arnold running down his contract in order to move to Spain.
Liverpool did manage to get a fee of around £8.4m in the end from the Spanish side as they wanted to sign him before the end of June to play in the Club World Cup.
The Reds could already do with signing a new centre-back to add depth to Arne Slot’s squad but they are reportedly in danger of losing another this summer.
Konate, who has entered the final year of his contract, has reportedly turned down two renewal offers from Liverpool as he weighs up his future.
And now Spanish website Fichajes claim that Real Madrid have ‘reached a comprehensive agreement’ with the France international ahead of a potential move to the Bernabeu.
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The La Liga giants are also ‘preparing to pay the €50m (£43m) Liverpool demand for his transfer’ and the report adds that Konate ‘will be Real Madrid’s next signing in the summer transfer window, in a deal that will be finalised in the coming days.’
Real Madrid’s heavy defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup semi-finals ‘set off alarm bells at Valdebebas and led’ Xabi Alonso ‘to request a reliable defender’.
And Liverpool centre-back Konate ‘meets the qualities Alonso considers essential to compete at the highest level’ with Frenchman making ‘his intention to wear the white shirt clear and is not considering any other alternative at this time.’
The report adds that Liverpool have ‘decided to accept the fee proposed by Real Madrid’ after coming under pressure following Konate’s refusal to agree a new contract.
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The Athletic’s James Pearce thought Konate was “back to his brilliant best” at Anfield last season but highlighted that the Liverpool defender’s contract situation was “going under the radar”.
Pearce said in May on the Walk On podcast: “Yeah, he has been back to his brilliant best. He had a real wobble towards the end of the Jurgen Klopp era. Jarell Quansah was regularly starting games ahead of him. He had a real shocker in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park last April. It was weird to see because you thought, ‘How has he managed to lose his way to this extent?’.
“He has benefitted from this new era, the freshness, the attention to detail and Arne Slot’s tactical acumen and man-management. It has all helped to get him back to the level we knew he could reach.
“Andy [Jones] spoke before about the new regime being able to keep players fit for longer. Konate is a good example of that — he has suffered just one injury this season. He’s been brilliant.
“One thing that is probably going under the radar is his contract situation. There’s been so much focus on Van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold but Konate is not far behind in urgency — come the summer, he’ll be down to his last year.
“He’s only 25, so his best years are still ahead. His contract needs to be addressed because it would be very difficult and very expensive to find someone as commanding and dominant in that back line as Konate has been for Liverpool this season.”
