Barcelona join Real Madrid in race for €50 million-rated Premier League defender – report | OneFootball

Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate has emerged as a much sought-after player in the transfer market as he has entered the final year of his contract at Anfield.

Real Madrid have shown the strongest interest in signing the 26-year-old French international, who was a key player in the Reds’ Premier League title triumph last season.

Barcelona, Bayern Munich also in the race

However, according to Caught Offside (h/t Mundo Deportivo), Barcelona and Bayern Munich have also expressed interest in Konate’s situation, joining Real Madrid in the race.

Liverpool, for their part, have been trying to renew the centre-back’s contract but will demand a €50 million transfer fee to sell him if there is no agreement reached with the player.

However, all the aforementioned clubs – Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich – consider the €50 million price tag too steep given the Frenchman’s contract situation.

Man in demand. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

The report even states that Los Blancos would be willing to offer only €25 million for Konate, while there is no mention of how far Barça or Bayern Munich would be ready to go.

Barcelona are stacked in defence

Barcelona are already well-stocked in the centre-back department with Pau Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, Ronald Araujo, Eric Garcia, and Andreas Christensen at manager Hansi Flick’s disposal.

The Blaugrana could also turn to Jules Kounde as a centre-back if necessary, meaning there is no urgent need for a new central defender at the moment.

So, while there may be some interest in Konate, there is a possibility that Barça could be monitoring him as a possible free-agent signing for 2026, should he not renew with Liverpool. A move this summer for the Frenchman appears extremely unlikely.