Liverpool star decides against signing a new contract and informs the club, with his next transfer destination reportedly identified.

Liverpool centre-back Ibrahima Konaté has reportedly told the club he won’t be renewing his contract at Anfield.

The French international has been a key figure for the Reds, but it now appears he’s decided to seek a new challenge elsewhere. According to Fichajes, Konaté has communicated his decision to Liverpool, and the club has accepted it.

The report suggests that Konaté is now likely to join Real Madrid on a free transfer next summer.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has also discussed Madrid’s genuine interest in Konaté, indicating this potential move has been developing for some time.

Is Konaté really on his way to Real Madrid?

Konaté’s future has been in question for a while, with both Real Madrid and Chelsea previously linked to the defender. With his contract running down, Liverpool are running out of time to convince him to stay.

Unless there’s a late change, it looks increasingly likely that Konaté will leave for free, and a club like Real Madrid would jump at the opportunity to sign a player of his calibre.

Another setback for Liverpool?

Despite a mostly successful summer window that saw Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak, and Hugo Ekitike arrive at Anfield, Liverpool did suffer a major loss in Trent Alexander-Arnold, who also allowed his contract to expire before joining Madrid — initially expected to go for free, but ultimately transferred for a small fee to play in the Club World Cup.

Konaté now seems set to follow a similar path, leaving Liverpool in need of another key defensive replacement.