Update follows intense criticism of Konate and teammate Virgil van Dijk for poor performances at the heart of Liverpool’s defence
Real Madrid have made it clear to Liverpool they are no longer interested in defender Ibrahima Konate.
The 26-year-old centre-back is in the final months of his contract at Liverpool and has been widely discussed as a potential target for Real Madrid.
From January, Konate will be free to sign a pre-contract agreement with clubs outside of England. Madrid were certainly keen on him, but have now cooled that interest.
A report from The Athletic said the Spanish club have told their Premier League counterparts “directly and unequivocally” that they no longer have any interest in signing the France international.
This comes after Konate and teammate Virgil van Dijk have faced intense criticism for poor performances at the heart of Liverpool’s defence, in a season that has seen the Premier League champions ship dozens of goals and lose nine out of 12 games so far.
Liverpool opened talks over a contract extension with Konate as far back as 2023, but progress has been slow, although reports suggest this is from the player’s side, as the club have made clear they are eager to keep the player.
The negotiations were inherited by new sporting director Richard Hughes after his arrival in January 2024. Konate was reportedly keen on joining Madrid, and also said Kylian Mbappe was phoning him regularly to persuade him.
