Real Madrid Considers Ibrahima Konaté to Strengthen its Defense
Real Madrid is evaluating Ibrahima Konaté’s contract situation, with the intention of signing him as a free agent next summer. However, there are certain internal doubts within the club about the Liverpool defender.
This information comes after the news that William Saliba, another player on Madrid’s radar, has agreed to a new five-year contract with Arsenal. Saliba’s agreement was expiring in 2027, which represents a setback for the merengue team, who had been following the French player with the intention of making an offer in 2026.
Sources close to the club indicate that Saliba was the main target to reinforce the defense, after the incorporations of Dean Huijsen, Álvaro Carreras and Trent Alexander-Arnold in the last transfer market.
Madrid considered Saliba as the ideal player to meet the signing criteria, but there is an internal debate about the convenience of signing Konaté, 26 years old.Some at the club see Konaté, whose contract with Liverpool expires next summer, as an option to follow the policy of signing high-profile players, such as Alexander-Arnold, Kylian Mbappé, Antonio Rüdiger and David Alaba, who arrived at the club as free agents in recent years.
However, sources indicate that there is not the same unanimity in the club about Konaté as there was in the case of Alexander-Arnold.
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Another name on the list of Madrid’s defenses is Castello Lukeba, from RB Leipzig.
Madrid is looking to sign a center-back in 2026, as the club believes Alaba will leave the team when his contract expires, and there is also the possibility of Rüdiger leaving, as the German international has been linked with a transfer to Saudi Arabia.
The white team is interested in incorporating a central defender to reinforce the squad alongside Huijsen, Éder Militão and Raúl Asencio, especially because coach Xabi Alonso sometimes prefers a three-man defense, and the full-back Carreras can also play in a more central position.
Another internal option to reinforce the first team is Joan Martínez, 18 years old, a highly valued player from the youth academy who has returned from a long-term injury and is playing with the reserve team, Castilla, this season.
