Real Madrid Expected to Pursue PSG Target to Partner With Dean Huijsen Amid Liverpool Contract Snag | OneFootball

PSG are keeping a close watch on Ibrahima Konaté, but they’re not the only ones interested—Real Madrid are reportedly in the race for the Liverpool defender as well. With his contract running until 2026, interest in the center-back is heating up ahead of the summer transfer window.

Milan Skriniar, who’s currently on loan at Fenerbahçe, is expected to leave PSG for good this summer. That has pushed the club to start looking for reinforcements in defense. While nothing is set in stone, it looks like PSG are already planning for a future without Skriniar.

The Parisians’ interest in Konaté isn’t new. Back in February, Anfield Watch revealed that PSG had been keeping a close eye on him, sparking talk about a possible move back to his hometown. Born in Paris, Konaté came through Paris FC’s youth system before making his mark at RB Leipzig, which keeps him high on PSG’s summer wishlist.

Liverpool on alert as Real Madrid could push for PSG target this summer

Carl Recine/Getty Images

L’Équipe recently reported that PSG is keeping tabs on Konaté as they look for a right-sided center back. The Liverpool defender’s name came up quite a bit a few months back, but so far, no official offer has been made to the Premier League club.

After landing Dean Huijsen, former Manchester United and Blackburn chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that Real Madrid will push for Konaté. He believes the Frenchman is the experienced defender Los Blancos want alongside Huijsen.

“Konate is a name I’ve seen in connection with Real Madrid,” Brown said. “They’ve got a list of targets because it’s a position they still want to strengthen in, but it will depend on what they think they need from their center-halves. They want a top-class option, so of course, they’ll be looking in the Premier League. Madrid want to dominate their domestic games, and Konate could help them do that.

“The issue I’ve got about him is he has made the odd mistakes during his time at Liverpool. If you’re dominating games you can get away with that more often, it’s not as big of an issue, but if it’s a tight game you can’t afford that. After signing Huijsen, they want somebody with a bit more experience to come in alongside him. Their injured players will come back, but they want to strengthen as well, so I expect they’ll be pushing ahead with new signings and Konate could well be one of them.”

According to The Times’ Hamzah Khalique-Loonat, Konaté’s agent is demanding a 150 percent pay raise for the defender, pushing his weekly wage to £200,000. That figure would make him the club’s third-highest earner, trailing only Mohamed Salah (£350,000) and Virgil van Dijk (£220,000).