Last summer, Trent Alexander-Arnold disappeared to Real Madrid, tempted by a €20 million bonus to sign his contract with an annual salary of €15 million. So far, this has been anything but a football-happy story. The player warms the bench at Real and “regrets”, the La Liga giant does not get a return on his investment, while Liverpool struggles without their right-back. Real Madrid have once again turned to Liverpool for reinforcements, but have this week withdrawn their interest, it is reported.
Liverpool is in a sporting crisis. It’s not uncommon for there to be some ups and downs throughout the season, but for Liverpool supporters, nine defeats in the last twelve games have been like setting off the biggest surf wave of all time. Then it doesn’t help that uncertainty about key players drags on. Now it is reported that Real Madrid are “making it all easier”, but this is anything but a positive sign.
Ibrahima Konaté was brought to Liverpool from Leipzig in the summer of 2021, now with 150 appearances for the club. Although the Frenchman is a player Liverpool management will want to bring forward, the centre-back has been criticised for a number of poor performances this season.
Real Madrid have in recent months been linked with Konaté, who could walk out as a free agent in the summer. Earlier this month, Sky Sports reported Liverpool had given the player an ultimatum: “Sign before Christmas, or be sold in January”.
According to The Athletic, Real Madrid have now withdrawn. The Spaniards have clearly not liked what they have seen of Konaté in the match arena in recent months. This opens up for Liverpool, but at the same time raises the question of whether the centre-back is the right player to keep.
