Real Madrid send WRONG message to Ibrahima Konate at pivotal moment | OneFootball

Real Madrid and Ibrahima Konate

ESPN make it clear that Real Madrid have not held Konate at the top of their shortlist. Instead, they've wanted to sign William Saliba from Arsenal.

The centre-back was entering the final year of his contract, potentially opening the door for a sale as the Gunners never wanted to lose him for free. However, Saliba is set to sign a new long-term contract with Arsenal.

Konate, then, isn't their first-choice. He's merely a backup option they'll fall back on now that Saliba is off the table. It's very unlike the Alexander-Arnold situation, who was always Real Madrid's main target.

And also unlike Alexander-Arnold, there isn't a unanimous push inside Madrid for Konate. The ESPN report suggests they're not all sold on a move and other targets are on their mind.