Liverpool make Ibrahima Konate 'beg' claim as Anfield outsiders push for Real Madrid free transfer: report

Liverpool centre-back Ibrahima Konate has entered the final year of his Liverpool contract and is attracting considerable interest from Real Madrid, according to various reports.

The 26-year-old has nailed down his position as Virgil van Dijk's partner in Arne Slot's backline, but may not remain at Anfield beyond this season, with no agreement on extending his contract reached yet.

Rumour has it Real Madrid are poised to pounce and sign their second Liverpool player in two seasons, following the arrival of Trent Alexander-Arnold this summer.

Ibrahima Konate is in contact with Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe

Konate has also established himself in the French squad, which contains a considerable Real Madrid contingent, including Kylian Mbappe, Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga.

Whilst unlikely to totally shift his view, Liverpool fans will not be too pleased to see him being over-friendly with these players as they risk losing another member of their backline to the Spanish giants.

Reds fans will be even less happy to hear Konate's latest claim.

In an interview with Telefoot, via The Mirror, Konate was asked about whether Mbappe had been trying to convince him to move to Spain.

The centre-back replied: “He [Mbappe] calls me every two hours!" He then did deny twice that he had been learning Spanish.

Liverpool and Real Madrid have faced off numerous times in the past few seasons, most notably in two Champions League finals, both of which Los Blancos won. Konate played in the second, which was held in Paris, where he grew up, and put in a very impressive performance against fellow countryman Karim Benzema.

Reliable Liverpool journalist Paul Joyce, who works for The Times, weighed in on Konate's contract conundrum over the weekend, stating Liverpool “will not beg anyone to remain at Anfield."

Chris Bascombe, who writes for The Telegraph, suggested a new contract was ready for Konate, but they do not want to wait another 10 months for the outcome. Transfermarkt value Konate at €60 million, the ninth most valuable centre-back in the world. Konate is also ranked at no.5 in FourFourTwo's list of the best centre-backs in the world right now.