There is claimed to be an “open secret” in football regarding a significant piece of Liverpool-related transfer business happening next year.
Even when the summer transfer window closes, the rumours show no sign of going away.
For Liverpool, it is a case of further improving what is already a fantastic squad in January or next summer, with their pursuit of Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi hopefully continuing.
It remains to be seen if the Reds will go back in for the 25-year-old, but he stands out as a perfect option to bring him, hence them being agonisingly close to signing him on deadline day.
Now, a big update has emerged regarding Ibrahima Konate, with Marca [via Sport Witness] claiming that it is an “open secret” that he will join Real Madrid in 2026.
The report adds that the Frenchman’s “departure is considered a given”, and that he has rejected Liverpool’s attempts to tie him down to a new deal, with Arsenal’s William Saliba considered an alternative option if the move doesn’t go through.
A saga with the potential to become a distraction
Liverpool may have won the Premier League title last season, but the constant talks surrounding the futures of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah were a needless distraction.
The Reds don’t want the same thing to happen with Konate this time around, with the 26-year-old either agreeing a new deal at the club or revealing that he is off to Madrid sooner rather than later.
Opinion has become slightly split on the France international of late, mainly because he has made an unconvincing start to the season, but the positive easily outweigh the negatives with him.
He is a fantastic centre-back on top form, combining pace, power, aerial dominance and character, and the ground he often has the cover when right-backs go forward makes his role a tough one, as well as an underrated one.
If Konate wants Madrid and isn’t offered the wages he wants by Liverpool, though, it is a case of moving on without him next year and ensuring that an ideal replacement comes in.
