Real Madrid is perhaps the biggest predator in the food chain of football, and star players with decayed contracts have become their favorite prey since the start of the decade. This summer the Trent Alexander-Arnold, although Los Blancos eventually paid € 10 million to get him on time for the club World Cup, and there are fears on Merseyside that Liverpool could be caught again in the ways of their transfer strategy.
According to The Guardian, there are fears in Liverpool about the future of Ibrahima Konate. The French defender was from contract in 2026, and he got stuck on contract discussions, with some suspicion of the club that he is looking for his deal. If they cannot get a deal, Liverpool will be confronted with a choice to sell it this summer, or to lose it for free next year. Liverpool held their nerve with Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, but now lost Alexander-Arnold, with Real Madrid the common denominator now.
The English outlet also says that Konate was probably disappointed with the current range of Liverpool. His representatives want the 26-year-old to receive more guaranteed money in exchange for less performance-related bonuses. The Reds plan to resume conversations with Konate later in the summer, but will not want to postpone the case too much longer.
In Spain, the floor has been that three players from contract have identified as potential goals next summer, and Konate is at the top that shortlist. Based on their earlier efforts to sign players from the contract, including Alexander-Arnold, if Los Blancos made a decision to pursue Konate, it would not be a surprise if they were already in contact with his agents.