Real Madrid has announced the signing of Ibrahima Konaté on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract with Premier League team Liverpool.
The 27-year-old has signed a contract that will keep him at the Spanish club until 2030.
Konaté is the third addition to Madrid’s roster this summer, following Chelsea‘s left-back Marc Cucurella and Manchester City‘s midfielder Bernardo Silva.
Furthermore, ESPN has previously reported that Madrid is in advanced talks to sign right-back Denzel Dumfries from Inter Milan for a fee of €20 million.
These signings are part of a major overhaul at the Bernabéu following two seasons without a trophy. José Mourinho has returned to the club as head coach after the exit of Álvaro Arbeloa. Madrid had considered signing Konaté last year as he entered the final year of his contract with Liverpool.
Despite earlier expectations of a potential transfer, Konaté had indicated as recently as April that he was likely to stay at Anfield.
However, negotiations that had been ongoing since 2023 ultimately fell through, with Liverpool confirming in May that the French defender would not renew his contract.
Madrid acted swiftly to finalize the transfer once Konaté was available.
He will take over the position previously held by David Alaba.
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Konaté will vie for a starting position in the center of defense alongside Antonio Rüdiger, who recently signed a contract extension, as well as Dean Huijsen, Raúl Asencio, and Éder Militão.
Beginning his career at Sochaux, Konaté moved to RB Leipzig in 2021 and later joined Liverpool for £40 million that same summer.
He made 183 appearances for the English side, capturing the FA Cup, two Carabao Cups, and the Premier League title.
Currently part of the France squad at the World Cup, he was an unused substitute during Tuesday’s Group I match, where they triumphed 3-1 over Senegal.