Florentino Perez and Arne Slott (Photo: Angel Martinez, Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Real Madrid have reportedly made clear to Liverpool that they have no intention of making a move for Reds centre-back Ibrahima Konate.
The France international is nearing the end of his contract at Anfield but has yet to agree a new contract and could leave on a free transfer next summer.
As reported, catch off sideLiverpool have offered Konate a generous new contract, but the 26-year-old is yet to respond.
However, with Real Madrid not planning to sign Konate, it is clear that one aspect of this story is over.
What is the latest information on Ibrahima Konate’s future at Liverpool and interest from Real Madrid?
The Athletic newspaper said: “He (Konate) is being considered by Real Madrid, but… The Athletic We can reveal that, despite such intense speculation, the La Liga side have directly and unambiguously communicated to their Premier League opponents that they are currently not interested in signing the French international.
However, this is not the end of the transfer spree as it is still unclear whether Konate will decide to stay at Liverpool, but our understanding is that he will also have interest from other big clubs such as Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.
Real probably have other defensive targets in mind, but it’s a bit surprising that they don’t want to take the option of grabbing a top player like Konate for free.
Should Liverpool keep Konate, who has declined in form?
Konate has primarily been a top performer at LFC, but it is debatable whether he has really earned a big new contract at Anfield after his recent dip in form.
Jamie Carragher has been a vocal critic of Konate, with the Frenchman arguably one of the worst-performing players in the team’s recent defeats to Nottingham Forest and PSV Eindhoven.
Although losing a player like Konate for free is far from ideal, one would imagine that Liverpool might actually do well to find a replacement who can help improve their defensive performance.
