Real Madrid blow Liverpool out of the water with £13m contract offer

Real Madrid have positioned themselves to poach Ibrahima Konate from Liverpool by tabling a staggering £13 million (€15 million) signing-on bonus, a move that could hasten the centre-back’s exit from Anfield when his contract expires on 30 June.

Konate, 26, has been in contractual limbo since entering the final year of his deal, and sources close to the negotiations indicate the France international would consider a Liverpool extension only if the club table an offer worth £200,000 per week or more. Sporting director Richard Hughes has so far refused – or been unable – to bridge that gap, leaving the door ajar for Madrid president Florentino Pérez to strike.

Los Blancos are bracing for a defensive overhaul: David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger are both out of contract in the summer, freeing squad places and significant wage space. Konate, signed from RB Leipzig for £35 million in 2021, returned to top form after an indifferent start to the campaign and is now viewed inside the Bernabéu as the ideal anchor for the new back line.

Spanish outlet Defensa Central reports that Pérez is willing to pay the mammoth bonus up front to secure a free-transfer agreement, effectively blowing Liverpool’s retention efforts out of the water.

Liverpool have already begun contingency planning, investing heavily in teenage prospects Giovanni Leoni and Jeremy Jacquet while monitoring seasoned Serie A targets Malick Thiaw, Murillo and Fikayo Tomori. Yet the loss of Konate, who formed one of Europe’s most formidable partnerships with Virgil van Dijk during last season’s Premier League title run, would mark a significant setback for Arne Slot’s project.

With less than six months remaining on his current terms, Konate is free to sign a pre-contract agreement with any foreign club. Unless Liverpool produce a late financial u-turn, the path is clear for Real Madrid to land their priority defensive reinforcement on a lucrative free transfer.

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