Real Madrid have reportedly informed Liverpool very clearly that they do not plan to make a move to sign Reds centre-back Ibrahima Konate.
The France international is nearing the end of his contract at Anfield, with no agreement yet on a new deal meaning he could leave on a free transfer next summer.
As reported for CaughtOffside, Liverpool have offered Konate a generous new contract, but the 26-year-old is yet to give a response.
However, it now seems clear that one aspect of this saga is over, with Real Madrid not planning to sign Konate.
What’s the latest on Ibrahima Konate’s Liverpool future and interest from Real Madrid?
According to the Athletic, “Although he (Konate) has been considered by Real Madrid, The Athletic can reveal the La Liga side have informed their Premier League counterparts directly and unequivocally that — despite such heavy speculation — they now have no interest in recruiting the France international.”
That doesn’t mean an end to the transfer saga, however, as it’s still not certain if Konate will decide to stay at Liverpool, while our understanding is also that he’ll have interest from other big clubs like Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.
Real perhaps have other defensive targets in mind, but it’s slightly surprising that they don’t want to take up the option of snapping up a top player like Konate on a free.
Jamie Carragher has been heavily critical of Konate, with the Frenchman undoubtedly looking like one of the team’s poorest performers in heavy recent defeats to Nottingham Forest and PSV Eindhoven.
Even if it’s far from ideal losing someone like Konate on a free, one imagines Liverpool could actually do well to find a replacement who’d help improve their defensive performances.