As if it wasn’t bad enough that Liverpool will be losing Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid this summer, the Reds could well find themselves in the same situation next year.
Alexander-Arnold has already confirmed his decision to leave Anfield at the end of his contract, although a move to the Bernabeu could actually come even sooner. Real has already made an approach to Liverpool as it looks to secure the right-back in time for the Club World Cup.
Should the Reds choose to grant Los Blancos’ wish, then they could end up receiving a fee. The numbers though would pale in comparison to what they might have got even just a year ago.
Until any decision is made on that front, Alexander-Arnold will be set to leave Liverpool for nothing. The Reds of course avoided what would have been a disastrous summer, with Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah both signing new two-year contracts last month.
But the cycle looks set to begin again with another key player, with Ibrahima Konate’s deal set to expire in just over 12 months’ time. And, rather worryingly for Liverpool fans, the Frenchman is being linked with a move to Madrid.
According to Spanish outlet Marca, Real is once again waiting for a Liverpool player to run down his contract so that it can sign him for free, just like Alexander-Arnold.
(Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
This isn’t the first time that Konate has been linked with a move to Spain, or any sort of transfer away from Liverpool. Earlier this year, ahead of facing off against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, the defender was met with questions about being linked with two of Europe’s giants.
“Hearing big clubs like that being interested is very flattering, but now I’m focusing on this season,” Konate said.
“I want to win everything – take as many titles as possible and then everything that happens in relation to my contractual situation. It’s my agents, my advisors who take care of that.”
That contract situation hasn’t looked all that promising of late. Liverpool’s attempts to try and get Konate tied down to a new contract look to have stalled, with the 25-year-old wanting his salary to reflect what he believes to be his standing as one of the Premier League’s best defenders.
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What’s more, the latest news coming and out of Arsenal might not be too welcome for Liverpool – and we’re not talking about Martin Zubimendi heading to North London.
The Athletic is reporting that the Gunners have now opened talks to extend William Saliba’s contract beyond its current end date in 2027.
Like Konate, Saliba has been linked with a move to Madrid, so a new deal for the Arsenal star might force the Spanish giant to focus its attention on Liverpool’s center-back instead, and as Alexander-Arnold has shown, once Real is interested, it can be hard for a player to turn them down.
