Liverpool worry spotted as Arsenal has advantage in Real Madrid transfer problem

It's claimed Real Madrid is chasing a free transfer move for Ibrahima Konate, but he's not the only one on the Spanish team's radar.

Arsenal's William Saliba and Bayern Munich's Dayot Upamecano are also said to be of interest to Los Blancos. Spanish reports suggest that Konate and Saliba are the La Liga team's primary targets for next summer, with the latter reportedly open to a new challenge.

Meanwhile, Konate's future at Liverpool is set to become a hot topic in the transfer market as the season progresses. The Frenchman's contract expires at the end of the 2025-26 season, and he'll be free to negotiate with European clubs come January when he enters the final six months of his deal.

While Liverpool may struggle to persuade Konate to stay, beyond offering an attractive new contract, Arsenal has more control over Saliba's future.

With two years left on his contract, Real Madrid faces a tough task to negotiate down a hefty asking price for Saliba.

Saliba is reportedly "irreplaceable" for Mikel Arteta, while Liverpool is already scouting for a new central defender after missing out on Marc Guehi on transfer deadline day.

Both Konate and Upamecano present opportunities to secure solid defenders without a transfer fee. This is a strategy Madrid has successfully employed in recent seasons.

Kylian Mbappe, one of the world's best players, was signed from Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer during the summer of 2024.

But, although Madrid didn't pay a transfer fee for Mbappe, the Spanish club would've paid the striker a hefty signing-on fee and given him a significant salary.

Last season, there were rumors aplenty about Trent Alexander-Arnold making a switch from Liverpool to the Bernabeu.

Although the Reds did end up pocketing around $11 million for Alexander-Arnold, they still lost him to Madrid. Liverpool only got that cash for the defender because Madrid wanted him to join the team early and play in the Club World Cup.

But, without the leverage of the Club World Cup this time around, Liverpool might find it more challenging to navigate Konate's contract situation.

Earlier this month, Konate light-heartedly mentioned that Mbappe has been nudging him to make a move to Madrid.

"He calls me every two hours! No, no, no," he quipped on French television channel TF1.

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