Real Madrid's new stance on Marc Guehi transfer with Liverpool's Ibrahima Konate involved - The Mirror

Liverpool and Real Madrid will find themselves competing in the same transfer markets next year, with Marc Guehi and Ibrahima Konate two key pieces of the jigsaw

Liverpool will be forced to go head to head with Real Madrid in the transfer market for centre-backs in 2026. Arne Slot’s side are keen to sign a central defender in the upcoming windows, but face plenty of competition, with Real and Bayern Munich among the most serious contenders for the signatures of top players.

Liverpool failed to get a £35million deal across the line for Marc Guehi on transfer deadline day and have since lost summer signing Giovanni Leoni to an ACL injury. It has left them short of options in the middle of the back line, with Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate backed up by only Joe Gomez.

Slot has hinted that he won’t move for Guehi in the January transfer window – and Crystal Palace are understood to prefer losing their captain for free in the summer rather than for a fee mid-season. That leaves Liverpool vulnerable to challenges from abroad, with foreign clubs able to speak to players like Guehi about a pre-contract agreement in January.

Guehi’s Palace contract is due to expire on June 30, like Konate and a host of other centre-backs, including Bayern’s Dayot Upemecano and Real pair Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba. It has created a crowded market and The Times reports that Real are focusing on free agents because they don’t want to pay for a new centre-back.

That is partly because they splashed £50m to sign Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth in the summer and also because they have 18-year-old Joan Martínez coming through. The Spanish giants hope he can replicate the success of Raul Asensio, but they are still in the market for a big-name free agent.

Palace know that Guehi won’t sign a new deal, so will leave the club for nothing in the summer. He is in a strong position and may well be able to take his pick of top European clubs, although previous reports have suggested that Real may struggle to afford him.

AS recently claimed that Guehi’s salary and the signing-on fee involved in a deal are too steep for Real, but his quality as an England international and a proven Premier League performer could change things. With Jude Bellingham and Trent Alexander-Arnold in Madrid already, there also might be another factor in their favour.

Bayern have already made their interest clear in Guehi. Sporting director Christoph Freund has spoken to Palace manager Oliver Glasner about the defender, while director of sport Max Eberl has met with his representatives in Munich.

Borussia Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck is another defender in the picture. The Germany international is refusing to sign a new deal with Dortmund and has emerged as a potential alternative to Guehi for Liverpool.

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