First Wiiliam Saliba, now Ibrahima Konaté? Real Madrid suffer fresh blow in defender pursuit

Ibrahima Konaté is considering a revised contract offer from Liverpool, with the club increasingly confident of keeping the defender at Anfield, according to reports in France.

The 26-year-old France international has spent the past four seasons on Merseyside but, with his contract set to expire next summer, he has repeatedly declined the opportunity to commit his future to the club.

As things stand, Konaté will be free to negotiate terms with a foreign club in January. Speculation has been rife that Real Madrid have been preparing a deal that would reunite the centre-back with former Liverpool team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold, who left the club this summer shortly before his contract was due to expire after Madrid paid a nominal £8.4m fee to secure his services in time for the Club World Cup.

Ibrahima Konaté considers revised contact offer from Liverpool

While it is understood the terms of an offer made by Liverpool in December failed to meet Konaté’s expectations, the French newspaper L’Equipe claims a restructured proposal put forward a fortnight ago has laid the groundwork for a breakthrough.

Should Konaté elect to remain at Anfield, it would represent a second blow in quick succession for Madrid, who had hoped to extract William Saliba from Arsenal next summer. However, Saliba signed a new contract this week that will keep him at the Emirates until 2030.

Defenders Antonio Rüdiger and David Alaba widely expected to leave the Spanish capital when their respective contracts expire at the end of the season. Saliba, who would have had only a year remaining on his previous deal at that stage, was the preferred candidate to fill the breach, even though he would still have commanded a significant fee.

Madrid have an established preference for signing players nearing the end of their contracts, but the prospects of securing a top-quality defender on a free transfer next summer appear to be diminishing rapidly.

Denied Saliba and possibly Konaté, are Real Madrid set to miss out on a third defensive target?

Bayern Munich have made plain their desire to retain Dayot Upamecano, another France international linked with Madrid. “It’s no big secret that we have a strong desire to extend Upamecano’s contract,” the Bavarian club’s sporting director Max Eberl remarked this week.

Meanwhile, Crystal Palace captain Marc Guéhi, the subject of a failed £35m bid from Liverpool this summer, remains closely linked with a move to Anfield when his contract expires at the end of the season. 

The arrival of players like Alaba and Kylian Mbappé, respectively recruited from Bayern and Paris Saint-Germain at the end of their contracts, have forged Real Madrid a reputation as masters of the free transfer. 

But it would seem the Spanish giants have their work cut out if they hope to reinforce their back line with a reprise of their signature move next year.