Real Madrid ready move for Ibrahima Konate's defensive colleague | OneFootball

Liverpool are facing a contract crisis over Ibrahima Konate.

The Reds signed him from RB Leipzig for around £35m back in 2021. It took the Frenchman quite a while to establish himself - but last season he formed part of an excellent partnership with Virgil van Dijk.

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That was the foundation for Liverpool’s 2024/25 Premier League title win - with Konate’s form meaning concerns were raised over the 26-year-old’s expiring contract.

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With the France international out of contract in 2026, Liverpool were put under significant pressure to get a renewal sorted.

Real Madrid want a centre-back in 2026

But it’s not been so easy to convince Konate to sign a renewal at Anfield. It’s been claimed that he wants around £200k to sign - but even so it’s not guaranteed he’d be tempted to extend.

That’s because Real Madrid are inevitably sniffing around - hoping to tie down Konate on a Bosman transfer in summer 2026.

Liverpool are powerless to prevent Konate from talking to interested clubs from January. It remains to be seen whether he will be lured by the appeal of the Bernabeu.

But there are indications that Konate may not be Madrid’s priority defender in the upcoming transfer period after all.

Bayern fear losing Upamecano to Real Madrid

That’s because Sport Bild is claiming that Madrid have now turned their focus on Dayot Upamecano - Konate’s France international teammate.

Contract negotiations between Upamecano and Bayern Munich are at a standstill - with the centre-back also out of contract in 2026.

It’s being reported that the 26-year-old wants more than his current €16m per annum to renew - a sum that remains out of reach for Bayern.

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Will Madrid try for both Upamecano and Konate?

So we could see Madrid take advantage for Upamecano - just like they did back in 2021 for David Alaba.

This would be welcome news of course for Liverpool - who could then focus on contract talks with the defender without the distraction of Madrid in the background.