Ibrahima Konate sends 12-word message as Liverpool star prepares for ‘Real Madrid audition’ | OneFootball

Ibrahima Konate has sent a rallying call to Liverpool fans ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League showdown with Real Madrid in a game being billed as the Frenchman’s transfer audition – but new reports in Spain suggest his poor form for the Reds has seen the Spanish giants accelerate moves for two other targets instead.

The French defender is now in the final year of the five-year contract he inked at Anfield after arriving from RB Leipzig in a £36m (€40m, $44m) deal in summer 2021. Having racked up 146 appearances in the Liverpool shirt and become the first-choice partner for Virgil van Dijk, speculation has been doing the rounds that this could well be Konate‘s final year at Anfield.

Indeed, with the player still yet to agree an extension to his contract, and with talks having been first held over a year ago, the 26-year-old has been strongly linked with a free-transfer move to Real Madrid next summer – a move which would come as a bitter pill for the Reds to swallow.

As fate would have it, the two sides have been paired together in this season’s Champions League group phase, with the meeting between two of the competition’s juggernauts taking place at Anfield on Tuesday evening.

Ahead of the match, and after Liverpool returned to winning ways on Saturday evening against Aston Villa, Konate has now dropped a 12-word rallying cry to fans ahead of the clash.

“Back to winning ways under the lights. Now we focus on Tuesday,” he posted on Instagram to his 3.1 million followers.

Reports in the Spanish claim the clash at Anfield will serve as Konate’s final audition to the Spanish giants to show himself capable of playing there.

And while a rock solid performer for the Reds down the years, his noticeable drop-off this season – which can perhaps be attributed to his contract situation – has seen reports grow that Konate is no longer Xabi Alonso’s top choice to come in as a new centre-half next summer…

Two reports claim Real Madrid are locking onto another target

While Real Madrid can sign Konate on a pre-contract agreement from January 1 as things stand, two other defenders also fall into that category.

And the fact that both Bayern Munich’s Dayo Upamecano and Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace will themselves become free agents next summer gives Real Madrid a significant belief that their next central defensive addition can be made without the need to spend a single penny.

Understandably, competition for all three is tough, and not least from Liverpool and Bayern, who both still want to retain both Konate and Upamecano, respectively.

France defender Upamecano has also been tentatively linked with Liverpool as a would-be replacement for Konate, though Bayern themselves are not prepared to let him leave without a fight.

Speaking to Sky Germany, Bayern’s director of sport, Max Eberl, stated: “We are working and making sure we do everything we can to make Dayot Upamecano sign a new contract.”

However, one player now almost certain to leave as a free agent in 2026 is Guehi, with the 26-times capped England defender making it clear to Crystal Palace that he will leave for a fresh challenge next year.

While a January move cannot be ruled out, our reporter Dean Jones has revealed that Guehi’s preference remains on moving at the end of the season, where he will pick from a list of eight suitors.

And with a move overseas very much in Guehi’s thinking, two reports on Sunday have explained why Real Madrid strongly fancy their chances of winning that particular race.

Tuesday night’s game is also a big one for Trent Alexander-Arnold as he prepares to make his first return to Anfield after quitting to join Real Madrid as a free agent.

Ahead of his return, the former Reds hero has explained the reasons behind the move, and how he will react should he score at Anfield.

Meanwhile, it’s been claimed that a ‘calm and composed’ Arne Slot never once feared the Liverpool sack after an ally compared him to Pep Guardiola and with Virgil van Dijk also hitting out at the media noise.