Incredible twist points to Liverpool star STAYING | OneFootball

There's been a twist in the story and now one Liverpool star destined for the exit door may now be staying.

Ibrahima Konate's future is in doubt right now. His contract, after all, expires at the end of the campaign.

Liverpool have tried to get him to sign a new one but until now, reports have all indicated that Konate wants to see his contract out and then move. Move where? Real Madrid, of course.

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That's where star players end up when they run their contracts down. It's been the go-to for the last few years, as Liverpool witnessed themselves last season with Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Reports in Spain have strongly linked Konate with a similar move. He's been at the centre of the usual press campaign - the kind of campaign you always see as Real Madrid pursue a top player.

Only, reports do now appear to be heading in a different direction. One that would mean Konate actually remains at Anfield.

Real Madrid's shortlist

Real Madrid will reportedly push to sign Marc Guehi once his contract at Crystal Palace expires in 2026. The Mirror claims that's now Guehi's most likely destination, with the defender switching gears from Liverpool.

Guehi, of course, came incredibly close to signing with Liverpool at the transfer deadline. Only a last-minute change of heart by Palace ended the deal.

Now it appears that was Liverpool's one and only chance. Guehi now wishes to move to Real Madrid - and that asks some questions.

Because AS claims their primary target is now Arsenal's Williams Saliba. We can't imagine the club are looking to sign three centre-backs in 2026 so the idea of them moving for Guehi, Saliba and Konate feels slim.

Their decision to switch gears to Guehi and Saliba, in fact, feels as though it's a reaction to Konate perhaps staying at Liverpool. The Reds are certainly in contract talks with the defender - this would tell us things are going well.

Why else would Real Madrid suddenly be linked to different centre-backs? Why else would they decide to go after a much more difficult deal for Saliba?

Konate, after all, is highly unlikely to want a move to Real Madrid if they're also intending on signing immediate competition for his place. The same goes for Guehi, too - why pick there if they're signing your replacements in the same summer?

Our feeling is that Guehi is the true reaction to Konate picking Liverpool.