According to reports from Spain, Liverpool could be open to parting with a current first-team regular in the January transfer window.
Despite the market closing a fortnight ago, speculation has continued to abound regarding the future of Ibrahima Konate, who’s now into the final 10 months of his contract at Anfield.
Last week, Lewis Steele reported that Real Madrid are growing increasingly confident of signing the Frenchman in 2026 and have even discussed the possibility of an agreement with the 26-year-old, who hasn’t given any firm indication of wanting to leave Merseyside.
Although Los Blancos could sign the defender on a free transfer next summer, they could seemingly try to make their move before then.
Real Madrid planning January offer for Konate
E-Noticies have claimed that Xabi Alonso’s side will go ‘all out’ for Konate and are planning to offer €40m (£34.6m) for the player in January.
It’s added that Liverpool could accept such a proposal so that they don’t lose their number 5 for nothing at the end of the season, if they’re unable to agree a contract extension in the meantime.
Current Real Madrid attacker Arda Guler has apparently spoken to the Frenchman about a move to the Bernabeu and endorsed the potential signing.
Liverpool could do with agreeing a new deal for Konate soon
While it’d clearly make more business sense to sell Konate in January than see him leave on a free in the summer, if a new contract at Anfield isn’t forthcoming, the thought of losing a regular starter to our old foes from the Spanish capital midway through the season is nauseating.
A light-hearted joke by the 26-year-old on French TV that Kylian Mbappe has been calling him ‘every two hours’ certainly hasn’t helped to quell speculation over the possibility of a move to Los Blancos and won’t have been well received on Merseyside.
Our number 5 had been criticised for his performances at the start of the season, but he was rock-solid as the Reds kept clean sheets in wins over Arsenal and Burnley more recently, and he forms an imperious partnership alongside Virgil van Dijk when he’s at his best.
While Liverpool insist they won’t beg Konate to stay if he’s unwilling to agree a new deal at Anfileld (The Times), club chiefs still want to keep him, and we can only hope that all parties involved in contract negotiations can reach an agreement before the year is out.
The sooner that happens, the better, so that the incessant speculation over a potential exit to Real Madrid would finally be put to bed.
If Konate is not willing to sign a new contract, it would make more sense to sell him and invest the funds in Guehi in the January transfer window.
There’s possibly some brinkmanship going on between Réal, Liverpool and Palace over this.
No decision is being made yet because nobody wishes to get caught out with a lessened defensive choice.
Guehi appears to be a straight-up guy and is honouring his Palace contract. His manager has backed him up. He says Liverpool is his choice, despite the gathering of other clubs spotting a top-class freebie.
We’ll see.
My punt would be he (Guehi) arrives next summer and Ibu goes to Réal with our best wishes both on frees.
Yes, Palace will lose out on a few bob, but that’s the choice they made when they showed no real urgency in securing a defensive transfer after the Hammers beat them to the Brighton lad.
Maybe if LFC (or another club) put a decent offer in for Wharton then, it’ll ease things over ?
We’ll have to see…..👍😄