Real Madrid ready to test Liverpool with 'cheeky' £25m bid | OneFootball

Liverpool are in the process of conducting a landmark summer transfer campaign. Despite winning the Premier League title, sporting director Richard Hughes and Arne Slot have decided to improve the squad from a position of strength.

We’ve already seen the squad augmented by the additions of Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Giorgi Mamardashvili - and Hugo Ekitike will shortly be confirmed as a Red.

After that there could be movement for a new centre-back - as uncertainty continues to swirl around the future of Ibrahima Konate.

The trail has gone somewhat cold around Marc Guehi in recent weeks but others - such as Jorrel Hato and Illia Zabarnyi have been looked at.

Liverpool's centre-back overhaul

Liverpool have already lost Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth over £30m - meaning there is considerable scope for adding a new option in the position.

And Hughes and Slot will need to safeguard against a possible departure of Konate either this summer or next. Under contract until 2026, Konate has shown no inclination of signing a new deal - at least on terms acceptable to Liverpool.

Instead there is a feeling that he is letting his current deal run down in anticipation of striking a lucrative free transfer with Real Madrid next summer.

Madrid plot £25m Konate bid

However, there remains the possibility that the French international is SOLD this summer as Liverpool hope to recoup the £35m spent on him back in 2021.

And a report in Football Insider claims that Madrid could test the water with an opportunistic £25m bid this summer.

That would give Liverpool a decision to make - either lose Konate for nothing next summer or else cut their losses and earn some transfer income on him in the next few weeks.

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Konate in box seat

“They’ll probably put in a cheeky offer of around £25million, but that’s not going to be enough to get him,” a report reads.

“The player is in the box position here, he can stay at Liverpool and talk to interested clubs in January.”

Neither solution is the ideal one for Liverpool. Konate, 26, has established himself as Virgil van Dijk’s preferred partner and his departure would require a senior option to come straight into the team alongside the Dutchman.

Guehi would be the ideal candidate in that regard but Liverpool have also got their eyes on some emerging talents. Either way, succession planning around Konate is going to have to take place right now as Madrid lie in wait.

**👉 **Liverpool set to increase transfer budget by £200m 🔗