Xabi Alonso wants Real Madrid to sign Ibrahima Konate from Liverpool in the summer transfer window, according to a report, but Florentino Perez has already chosen his number one target for the centre-back role.
Madrid have one of the strongest squads in the world, but getting knocked out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage by Arsenal and losing to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final has exposed shortcomings. Los Blancos are also four points behind leaders Barca in second place in LaLiga and may not be able to retain the title.
Last season’s LaLiga and Champions League winners will make changes to their squad this summer, and it is now virtually guaranteed that there will be a managerial change as well.
Carlo Ancelotti is set to leave Los Blancos at the end of the season, with former Madrid and Liverpool star Alonso the favourite to replace the Italian manager at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Defensa Central has reported that Alonso, who led Bayer Leverkusen to the Bundesliga title last season, has already identified players to improve the current Madrid squad.
According to the report, Alonso wants Madrid to re-sign Nico Paz and Miguel Gutierrez from Como and Girona respectively, as well as bring Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi to the Santiago Bernabeu.
The Bayer boss is also keen on signing Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is out of contract at Liverpool at the end of the season and is expected to move to Madrid as a free agent.
Alonso is said to have identified three centre-backs – Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen, Jonathan Tah of Bayer and Liverpool ace Konate – and wants Madrid to sign one of them.
The France international defender, who was described as “outstanding” by his Liverpool team-mate Virgil van Dijk on BBC Sport in September 2024, is out of contract at the newly-crowned Premier League champions in the summer of 2026.
Konate cost Liverpool £36million when he joined from RB Leipzig in 2021 and has made 129 appearances for the Merseyside club. The centre-back has scored five goals and given four assists in those games.