A report has said that after Giovanni Leoni, Liverpool's focus is expected to shift to Marc Guehi, which could open the doors for Ibrahima Konate's exit. While PSG are also tracking the French defender, his preferred destination remains Real Madrid, the report added.
Real Madrid would like to sign Konate for free next season ideally but Liverpool may push out Konate before the summer window shuts, which would force them to make a bid for the defender. The Los Blancos would not mind paying Liverpool a sum in the range of €20-25 million for the centre-back, AS said in a report.
Earlier, Spanish media reported that Real Madrid had frankly warned Liverpool that they would miss out on another sale if they ignored the approaches being made. They will come for free-agent Konate next season if nothing happens now, and it is in the best interests of the Premier League champions to accept the offer they are making, Real Madrid have reportedly pointed out.
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For his part, Konate has reportedly told Liverpool that he will not be signing a contract extension as long as he is wanted by Real Madrid. Thus, if they cannot sell the 26-year-old before the summer transfer window shuts, Liverpool risks another Trent Alexander-Arnold-like situation. Trent, long linked to Real Madrid, walked away as a free agent ahead of the Club World Cup, denying the Reds any profit from the sale, apart from the £10 million they got for an early release.
This is also a reason why Liverpool are pushing for Guehi despite landing young Leni, AS said.