Real Madrid News
Real Madrid could revive interest in Liverpool defender on one condition – report
With three months left before the season concludes, Real Madrid have already preparing for the summer of 2026.
The club are poised for a busy summer, with the board keen on bringing in defensive reinforcements, as they look to find long-term replacements for the likes of Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba.
Real Madrid have tried their luck with multiple defensive targets in the recent past, including Ibrahima Konate, Dayot Upamecano and Marc Guehi. But none of them worked out.
Konate could become an option again
However, there is a possibility that Real Madrid may start to consider the option of signing Konate once again.
According to ESPN, the Frenchman could once again become an option for Los Blancos, but it is contingent upon the defender’s salary demands.
Earlier, talks broke down as the Frenchman’s salary demands were seen as too steep. There were also murmurs that Konate was just using Real Madrid to get a better deal out of Liverpool.
However, with the defender not having the best of seasons, his leverage has come down significantly, potentially paving the way for Real Madrid to sign him at a lower salary package.
Indeed, Konate, despite remaining a key component in Liverpool’s defence, has not been the same this season. Real Madrid, though, remain interest, provided the defender lowers his demands.
This is not an if but a must for Real Madrid, who are not willing to stoop to the defender’s previous salary demands.
In case Konate continues to demand a high salary, Real Madrid always have other options in the market, with chief scout Juni Calafat notably monitoring the progress of two Bundesliga defenders in Nico Schlotterbeck and Castello Lukeba.
Real Madrid will be looking to pick up their fifth win of the 2026/27 La Liga season when they take on Elche CF at Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero later tonight.
With 12 points from five games, Los Blancos are currently second in the league table, three points below leaders FC Barcelona.
As such, the Spanish capital club will be eager to get the win and close the gap to the top.
Guler starts, Bellingham rested
Ahead of kickoff, Real Madrid have announced the starting lineup that will take the field against Elche, with Jose Mourinho making some important changes.
For starters, Arda Guler is back in the lineup after appearing as a substitute in the win over Rayo Vallecano.
Interestingly, however, he starts in the attacking midfield role, with Mourinho opting to rest Jude Bellingham, who has started all of Real Madrid’s games so far.
That also means that Yan Diomande retains his place in the team, starting for a second time in a row on the right wing. Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. continue in their respective positions in attack.
Another notable change sees Aurelien Tchouameni make his first start of the season after recovering from injury and making two appearances off the bench.
He replaces Bernardo Silva as Federico Valverde’s partner in the middle of the park.
Meanwhile, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Marc Cucurella come in as full-backs, while Ibrahima Konate and Dean Huijsen slot in at centre-back in front of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
📋✅ ¡Nuestro XI inicial!
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) September 15, 2026
🆚 @ElcheCF
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