Real Madrid is an attractive proposition for any player, with the difficulty of rejecting the admiring glances of Santiago Bernabéu. Liverpool learned this the hard way when they saw Trent Alexander-Arnold swap Merseyside for the Spanish capital.
There have been suggestions that history could repeat itself 12 months later. That’s because the Reds see another defenseman cut his contract heading into free agency. Having lost the right-back, a centre-half could leave for nothing.
Ibrahima Konate is the man in question, with the France international pondering what to do after four years at Anfield. If truth be told, he has been attracting attention for all the wrong reasons in 2025-26.
Dramatic collapse
Defensive frailties have seen the reigning Premier League champions endure a humiliating fall from grace, with Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool betting pricing the Reds at 3/1 to keep a clean sheet in north London.
Arne Slot’s team would have earned much more favour online football betting odds 12 months ago as they confidently claimed a 20th top-flight title and equaled the achievements of arch-rivals Manchester United in the process.
Alexander-Arnold was part of the wild celebrations on Merseyside as Slott’s first season in charge provided a perfect end. Few could have predicted in May 2025 that Liverpool would fall so far, so quickly.
Konate must do his part of the blame for this, with uncharacteristic errors in his game and that of fellow central midfielder Virgil van Dijk. What was once a watertight backwater has suddenly sprung up a few alarming leaks.
It is difficult to explain why so many proven performers have allowed their standards to drop. Perhaps complacency has set in, or perhaps Liverpool are trying too hard to right the wrongs that continue to be analyzed in detail.
Whatever Konate’s case, he’s not doing himself any favors. At times this season, it has been hard to see why Southern League Premier League Division Central side Real Bedford would want him, never mind La Liga heavyweights Real Madrid.
Legend of the Reds John Barnes has admitted itwarning the powerful Frenchman that he “has to start playing well enough for them to want to buy him”. It has already been suggested that Whites are turning their attention elsewhere.
Konate had plenty of appeal when he was playing well, with no transfer fee involved in any deal for the summer of 2026, but right now it’s hard to argue why faith should be shown in him.
Negotiations table
It remains to be seen which direction a long-running saga will go from here. Having multiple options to consider at one stage, Konate will soon find himself without one.
It seems that Real have walked away from the negotiating table, if they ever got there, with recruitment radars at the Bernabéu apparently turns in a different direction.
Meanwhile, Liverpool will be asking serious questions about whether they want to extend their relationship with a player who has openly flirted with a potential new flame, only to be stuck on the shelf.
