Title: Real Madrid only wants to sign Konaté for €20-25m; Liverpool insists on €50m
Liverpool have made it clear that any club looking to sign Ibrahima Konaté this summer must pay a transfer fee of €50 million.
Reports suggest Liverpool will not let Konaté leave for free easily. Any club hoping to secure his services this summer must cough up €50 million. However, Liverpool's main challenge is that Konaté has refused to renew his contract, and he has made it clear that if he leaves this summer, he will only choose to join Real Madrid.
Real Madrid are looking to sign a new central defender this summer, and Konaté has long been one of their targets. However, given that he only has one year left on his contract with Liverpool, Los Blancos have offered only €20-25 million, resulting in a huge gap between the two sides' valuations. Therefore, based on the current situation, this transfer seems more likely to be completed in 2026.
Real Madrid's Plan A is to sign Konaté for free once his contract expires. Los Blancos feel they hold the initiative in this matter; after all, the player is willing to join them, and if Liverpool do not accept the €20-25 million offer, they only need to wait another 12 months.
Sources close to Liverpool have also mentioned that they have not ruled out the possibility of Konaté staying. Liverpool could accept Konaté entering the final year of his contract and then try to persuade him to renew during the season, after all, this approach proved effective with Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah this season.
However, Trent Alexander-Arnold left as a free agent after his contract expired, so this time, Liverpool are more inclined to let Konaté leave this summer, ideally with a buyer willing to pay €50 million or more.
