Liverpool's France international center back Ibrahima Konaté will join Real Madrid on a free transfer..

Real Madrid announced on their official website on Thursday that Liverpool's France international center back Ibrahima Konaté will join the club on a free transfer.

According to Real Madrid's official statement, Konaté has signed on a long-term four-year deal with the club which runs until the summer of 2030.

Furthermore, according to Spanish online media outlet Relevo's resident renowned Italian transfer journalist Matteo Moretto, Real Madrid had indeed initially abandoned their pursuit of Konaté due to his declining performances and Liverpool's dissatisfaction with his perceived disruptive behavior.

However, following President Florentino Pérez's victory at the re-election, he immediately realized that strengthening the centre-back position on a free transfer was not a bad thing, and therefore promptly resumed negotiations with Konaté's agent team.

Moretto also revealed that the main reason Konaté's contract renewal negotiations with Liverpool ultimately broke down was because Real Madrid's offer of a significantly higher after-tax wages and personal terms than what Liverpool could offer. This led his agent to repeatedly change his mind, demanding a substantial increase in his salary and performance-related bonuses.

According to sources, Konaté's after-tax weekly wages at the La Liga giants will be £47,500, excluding performance-related bonuses. This is far higher than Liverpool's highest-paid player, captain Virgil van Dijk, who earns £35,000.

With the completion of this transfer, Konaté officially becomes the third player to join Los Blancos this summer, after Marc Cucurella and Bernardo Silva.

About Ibrahima Konaté

The 27-year-old Konaté was born on May 25, 1999, in Paris, France. He is 1.94 meters tall, plays as a centre-back, and holds dual French and Malian citizenship.

Konaté joined the youth academy of his hometown club Paris FC at the age of 10, and five years later transferred to Sochaux's youth academy, before completing his Sochaux first-team debut in February 2017 at the age of 17.

After his contract expired in July of the same year, Konaté joined RB Leipzig on a free transfer.

During his four years at Leipzig, Konaté helped the club reach the DFB-Pokal final twice.

In July 2021, Konaté joined Liverpool for £36 million.

During his five-year spell with the Reds, Konaté made 183 appearances in all competitions, scoring 7 goals and providing 4 assists. During which he helped the club win one Premier League title, one FA Cup, one Community Shield, and two Carabao Cups, and reached the UEFA Champions League final once.

Image source: Internet / This is Anfield