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Florentino Pérez is expected to announce the deal this coming Thursday, with Ibrahima Konaté set to become Real Madrid’s first summer signing. Under the agreed terms, the 27-year-old defender will join on a free transfer once his existing contract with Liverpool expires at the end of June.
The La Liga side has been pursuing the centre-back actively as defensive reinforcement sits high on their transfer agenda. Talks over a contract extension between Konaté and Liverpool stretch back to October 2024. The centre-back told reporters back in April that he was “close” to reaching a new deal, yet negotiations ultimately collapsed, prompting Liverpool to confirm his impending exit. “I am deeply upset I could not bid farewell to all of you in our final fixture,” Konaté wrote in a message to club supporters. “I had no idea that would be my last time wearing this jersey in front of you. This goodbye is far from easy, yet the time has come to embrace fresh challenges and embark on a new chapter.”
Real Madrid previously weighed up a move for Konaté before informing Liverpool late last year that they were no longer interested in the defender. However, the Spanish club revived their pursuit amid David Alaba’s upcoming free-agent departure and Éder Militão’s ongoing injury rehabilitation, leaving them in urgent need of a new centre-back. Incoming head coach Jose Mourinho prioritises signing a central defender, and Real Madrid had marked the position as a key target ahead of finalising terms with Mourinho.
Konaté originally joined Liverpool from RB Leipzig in 2021 after the Reds triggered his £35 million release clause. He gradually established himself as a regular starting centre-back alongside Virgil van Dijk and has racked up 183 senior appearances for the club. Beyond van Dijk, Liverpool’s other centre-back options include Joe Gomez, who has missed 34 matches across the past two seasons due to fitness issues, plus Leonie, whose debut campaign at Anfield was cut short last September following an anterior cruciate ligament tear in his left knee. Twenty-year-old Jeremy Jacquet is poised to join Liverpool from Rennes for a fixed £55 million plus £5 million in add-ons after the clubs sealed the agreement in the previous winter transfer window.
