Liverpool transfer news: Latest on Ibrahima Konate contract with Real Madrid keen on repeating Trent Alexander-Arnold signing

Real Madrid's interest in signing Ibrahima Konate is substantial, and they may be willing to wait until his contract expires next year to sign him, Reds transfer expert David Lynch has claimed.

The Merseysiders have been linked with Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi, but there are fears he is seen by the club as a replacement for Konate.

La Liga giants Real have been credited with an interest in the Liverpool defender, and with the Frenchman only having a year remaining on his deal, it would not be surprising if Los Blancos waited to sign him as they did with former Reds right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Expert Lynch expressed his view that Real are unlikely to bid for the centre-back this summer, when he told Sports Mole: "It's clearly a risk for Liverpool that [he could leave]. You can't rule that out because Real Madrid are clearly interested. There's no question about that. 

"We saw with Trent [what happened], so there's still a long way to go with this. I'm still of the mindset that I do not think Liverpool should push for a sale this summer - I don't think Real Madrid would push for a purchase this summer either.

"The minimal sum that you will end up getting from that is not worth the damage it would do to Liverpool's chances of defending their title. Liverpool need to keep hold of him for this season regardless, and then we see how things progress or don't progress with contract talks."

Liverpool did receive a sum in the region of £10m for Alexander-Arnold in May, with Real keen to bring him in before the Club World Cup, but they were forced into accepting the fee for the defender as his contract was due to expire in June.

Will Liverpool keep Konate despite contract stand-off?

While Reds supporters will naturally be fearing the worst after their experience with Alexander-Arnold, it should be highlighted that they were able to extend the contracts of both Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah.

Both only signed their extensions in April this year, so while no deal has yet been agreed with Konate, perhaps fans will have to be patient.

Speaking to Sports Mole, Lynch insisted that the defender's priority appears to be staying at Anfield, saying: "Speaking to people close to Konate himself at the moment, I still get the feeling that the priority is to renew with Liverpool. There are talks there, but it's stuck at the moment and it's not progressing.

"I don't think it's reached the point of no return and the player has definitely decided to go to Real Madrid. I don't get that feeling at all, but that's not to say it's not going to end in that way because that possibility is 100% on the table.

"Liverpool are going to have to put a contract on the table that is attractive to the player, and as of yet, that hasn't happened. We have to wait and see. We've seen these get wrapped up late in the day. We saw with Van Dijk and with Mo Salah last season that it can happen."

Konate proved vital for the champions in their title-wining season last term, and boss Arne Slot will not want to risk destabilising his defence ahead of 2025-26.

Could the situation get toxic like Trent Alexander-Arnold's?

Though Liverpool's title defence will likely be aided by having Konate in the XI, the longer his contract stand-off remains unresolved, the more likely the situation could sour.

Alexander-Arnold was seen gesturing towards fans last season, while the right-back was also vehemently booed by spectators at Anfield against Arsenal in May.

Lynch believes that supporters' reaction to Konate will depend largely on how the player conducts himself during the season, telling Sports Mole: "He could do without a performance like Trent against Manchester United last season. That certainly didn't help him [last term]. That was when it really felt like it was toxic.

"You think of Trent Alexander-Arnold's celebration at West Ham as well. For me, that was inexplicably poor when you think about what ended up happening. I thought it was a real misstep from the player, and it's aspects like that that can turn it toxic.

"The key there is how long it drags on for, but also how the player handles himself and how he acts in those moments. Trent made a couple of errors in terms of that last season and hopefully Konate won't, even if it doesn't come to a positive resolution."

Alexander-Arnold was criticised for his performance against rivals Manchester United in January following reports of a bid from Real Madrid, with many accusing the defender of having his head swayed by matters off the pitch.

> Click here to listen to the full discussion on Ibrahima Konate's future at Liverpool

Written by
Lewis Nolan