The defense has the floor. In 2026, Real Madrid wants to inject new blood into its rearguard. Indeed, the residents of the Santiago-Bernabéu stadium will part ways with David Alaba, whose contract expires on June 30. The versatile Austrian, capable of playing in the center as well as at the left-back position, or even in the middle, has been injured too often. His fate is already sealed. The same cannot be said of Antonio Rüdiger. At the end of his contract at the end of the season, the German is considered a reference to his position and a captain within the locker room.
While some announced his possible departure next summer, the situation may be changing. A one-year extension is not excluded by the player like Casa Blanca. Despite everything, the Madrilenians have been examining the market for central defenders for several months. Which is not necessarily a good sign for Rüdiger and the other players already in place. Ideally, Real Madrid want a specialist in the position who is neither too young nor too old with already solid experience. If his contractual situation is advantageous, that would be the icing on the cake.
Real Madrid don’t want Konaté
Marc Guehi (25 years old, Crystal Palace), Dayot Upamecano (27 years old, Bayern Munich) and Ibrahima Konaté (26 years old Liverpool) are the three names that have come up most often in recent months. And they tick all the boxes, since they are all under contract until 2026. For a long time, the Frenchman from the Reds was designated as the Merengues’ priority. But a few weeks ago, we revealed to you exclusively on our site that Real Madrid’s number 1 target is Upamecano, with whom a verbal agreement has been reached. But staying at Bayern Munich is not ruled out for the defender, also followed by PSG.
For Konaté, who has an extension offer at Liverpool and who is also in the sights of PSG, we have told you that he would like to play in Madrid. But for the moment, we cannot say that this desire is mutual. This Friday, The Athletic reveals that Real Madrid have directly and unequivocally informed LFC that they have no interest in recruiting “Ibou” Konaté. This, despite all the speculation. Madrilenians don’t want Frenchy. A hard blow for Konaté, who sees a door closing. His recent performances at club and national level, much criticized in England, have certainly weighed in the balance.
