The Athletic's resident renowned English transfer journalist David Ornstein, exclusively reported on Sunday that Real Madrid have completely lost interest in signing Liverpool's France international defender Ibrahima Konaté.

According to Ornstein, Real Madrid officials have informed Konaté and his agent that the club is no longer interested in signing him on a free transfer, whose contract is about to expire next summer. They are even preparing to inform Liverpool's sporting director, Richard Hughes, of their decision.

While he did not reveal the reason for the La Liga giants' sudden change of heart, he believes it is largely related to Konaté's lackluster performances this season.

Ornstein stated that Real Madrid have now shifted their transfer targets to other players, but as of now, Los Blancos have not confirm any other player.

Furthermore, Ornstein's colleague, The Athletic's resident renowned English Liverpool team correspondent James Pearce, added that contract extension negotiations between Liverpool and Konaté and his agents are still ongoing.

Pearce added that, contrary to rumours circulating online, Liverpool's management never prematurely decided to abandon contract extension negotiations with Konaté due to his poor performances this season.

On the contrary, valuing Konaté's leadership abilities and extensive experience, the Reds are keen to avoid letting the French national team vice-captain leave so easily.

Pearce revealed that the both parties have not yet reached an agreement on a contract extension, mainly because Konaté and Hughes have not yet agreed on his new wage and personal terms demands.

Konaté wants his after-tax wages to reach the level of captain Virgil van Dijk's nearly £40,000 per week, but Liverpool is not currently willing to break its wage structure to meet his demands.

Nevertheless, the Reds will continue to work hard to negotiate with Konaté and his agent team in order to find a mutually agreeable solution as soon as possible.

About Ibrahima Konaté

Ibrahima Konaté, 25, was born on May 25, 1999, in Paris, France. Standing at 1.94 meters tall, he 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. Five years later, he transferred to Sochaux's youth academy, making his 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 team reach the DFB-Pokal final twice.

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

Since joining the Reds, Konaté has made 151 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions, scoring 6 goals and providing 4 assists, where he has won the Premier League once, the FA Cup once, the Community Shield once, and the Carabao Cup twice with the team, and reached the Champions League final once with the club.