Real Madrid have reportedly dropped their interest in one Liverpool player but the £36million star could still leave Anfield in the coming months.
The future of much of Liverpool’s squad and manager Arne Slot is up in the air amid the Premier League champions’ terrible run of form.
The Reds have lost nine of their last 12 matches across all competitions and have fallen to 12th in table – 11 points behind leaders Arsenal.
A major issue has been Slot’s leaky defence which has kept just just four clean sheets in 20 games and conceding 34 goals, with centre-back Ibrahima Konate repeatedly coming in for criticism.
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher even went as far as to say Slot ‘should be sacked’ for continuing to select the France international after a calamitous error in the 4-1 defeat to PSV in the Champions League on Wednesday.
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It has been suggested that Konate’s head has been turned by Real Madrid, who would be able to sign him on a free transfer at the end of the season when his contract expires.
Los Blancos have signed many high-profile players who have run their contracts down over the past few seasons, notably acquiring Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool last year.
Real have been linked with Konate for many months but now, according to The Athletic, the Spanish giants have informed Liverpool ‘directly and unequivocally’ that they no longer have any interest in the 26-year-old.
However, that does not mean that the defender will extend his stay at Anfield, despite the club being keen to agree fresh terms with the player.
Jurgen Klopp signed Konate from RB Leipzig in 2021 for £36m and he has since gone on to make 150 appearances for the Merseyside club, winning the Premier League, FA Cup and two League Cups.
The player recently took to social media to apologise for his and the team’s miserable form, vowing to ‘keep fighting’ for the fans.
If Konate were to depart, it would leave Slot perilously short on defensive options, with Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Giovanni Leoni – who is set to be sidelined for much of the year with an ACL injury – his only centre-back options.
Liverpool have been linked with soon to be free agent Marc Guehi – whom they nearly signed on deadline day – but the Crystal Palace captain is also attracting interest from Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Real Madrid.
And to make matters worse for the Reds, the report adds that the England star is more likely to join a club challenging for the Champions League, a competition Slot’s side are not on track to qualify for.
In the meantime, Liverpool will be aiming to get back to winning ways on Sunday when they travel to West Ham.
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