Real Madrid target Liverpool superstar in Trent, Konate repeat – Mourinho wants deal | OneFootball

Real Madrid could haunt Liverpool yet again, with the Spanish giant sizing up the Reds’ best player in a zero-cost deal.

Los Blancos are partial to signing a Liverpool player of late, with Trent Alexander-Arnold followed into the Bernabeu by Ibrahima Konate in the summer just gone.

The Reds put competitive contract offers to both players, though in Alexander-Arnold’s case, he only had eyes for the Bernabeu.

Ultimately, Real’s desperation to field the right-back in the revamped 2025 Club World Cup saw the club pay €10m / £8.5m despite the fact the player was one month shy of free agency.

In Konate’s case, he was open to re-signing at Anfield, though ultimately chose Real Madrid after a satisfactory agreement wasn’t struck on Merseyside.

And according to the latest from Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Real Madrid are at it again, and once more it involves a defender.

Real Madrid want to sign Virgil van Dijk

After confirming Real’s interest in Liverpool captain, Virgil van Dijk, the report added: ‘Real Madrid signed Konate this summer. The Frenchman arrived on a free transfer from Liverpool, and that same deal could be repeated with Van Dijk.’

Van Dijk’s current deal with Liverpool is due to expire at the end of the season.

His superb form in the early going this year and excellent partnership already struck up with Jeremy Jacquet would suggest he’s more than worthy of receiving a new deal.

However, aged 35, Liverpool will naturally be cautious, and especially so after witnessing Mohamed Salah’s sharp decline in his last year at the club.

In any case, Real Madrid making their interest in Van Dijk known could, in theory, turn the player’s head and make him less receptive to re-signing with Liverpool, just as it did with Alexander-Arnold.

Madrid manager Mourinho, meanwhile, wants another new centre-back despite landing Konate, and actually wanted that extra man to arrive last summer.

MD concluded: ‘Mourinho wanted another centre-back, but no one else arrived because [Raul] Asensio didn’t leave Real Madrid last summer.’

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Real Madrid aren’t the only European heavyweight sniffing around Van Dijk, with reports out of Italy recently claiming a move to AC Milan is likely.

That’s according to journalist Carlo Pellegatti who stated via Football Italia: “Every now and then, people make fun of me for saying Van Dijk would join, but then they had done the same the January before Zlatan Ibrahimovic arrived.

“I continue to say that Gerry Cardinale (Milan’s owner) made clear: ‘Either we get him now by paying or next year for free.’ I said that Van Dijk will arrive at Milan sooner or later.

“We’ll see if Cardinale changes his mind or not, but I can assure you it was not just a name I pulled out of thin air.”

If the current campaign proves to be Van Dijk’s last at Liverpool, expect to see the defender land at one of Europe’s biggest clubs.