Reports in Spain suggest Liverpool are reluctantly coming to terms with the likely departure of Ibrahima Konaté, with Real Madrid growing increasingly confident of securing him on a free transfer.

Despite the new season barely underway, speculation over the French defender’s future shows no sign of easing.

Real Madrid’s long-standing admiration

Los Blancos have monitored Konaté for several years and now believe they are perfectly placed to land him without a fee once his contract expires next summer.

Marca claim contact has already been made, with Madrid eager to repeat the type of transfer business that has recently brought in stars like Kylian Mbappé and Antonio Rüdiger.

For Liverpool, the situation is frustratingly familiar. The club endured a similar saga with Trent Alexander-Arnold, who also opted to run down his contract before leaving for Spain.

Konaté has kept quiet on his future, while negotiations with Liverpool over an extension have hit a deadlock.

Contract stalemate leaves Liverpool helpless

On the pitch, Konaté continues to perform at a high level, but off it the outlook is bleak.

Liverpool’s attempts to tie him down have stalled completely, and Marca now report that Anfield chiefs are “treating his exit as a done deal.”

With one defensive cornerstone already lost and another seemingly set to follow, the Reds face a defining challenge: finding the right long-term replacements before Madrid complete yet another transfer coup.