Liverpool star reveals Kylian Mbappe 'calls every two hours' over signing for Real Madrid as Los Blancos target weighs up next move

Konate has established himself as a key figure in Liverpool’s starting lineup ever since his move from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig in 2021. The 26-year-old has formed a strong partnership with Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the Reds’ defence and has made 147 appearances for the Premier League giants across all competitions and scored six goals.

However, speculation remains rife regarding Konate’s future ahead of the January transfer window. The centre-back is into the final year of his current contract and it is up in the air as to whether he will ink fresh terms at Anfield.

BILD reported last week that German giants Bayern Munich are tentatively weighing up a move to rival La Liga heavyweights Real Madrid by making a bid for Konate, who is eligible to hold pre-contract talks with clubs outside of England from January 1. Los Blancos, on the other hand, have been long-time admirers of the defender.

Konate recently revealed that he gets constant phone calls from his France team-mate and captain Mbappe, as the Madrid star is determined to convince the defender to join him at the Spanish capital next summer. Speaking to Telefoot, Konate said Mbappe "calls me every two hours to sign for Real Madrid."

Los Blancos are in no hurry when it comes to Konate, as Liverpool have only a few weeks to convince the player and make him sign a new deal before he starts to negotiate new offers. Madrid would want Konate to reject a new contract and then join them in the summer for free, quite similar to the way they landed Alexander-Arnold.

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Reds legend and pundit Jamie Carragher recently claimed that while he would love to see Konate stay at Anfield, if he leaves for Madrid next summer, the Merseyside club won't miss the centre-back much. He told the Daily Mail: "I’d like him [Konate] to stay but if he doesn’t stay, Liverpool will sign someone else. Liverpool won’t fall apart if Konate leaves. He's not Virgil van Dijk. He's a good centre-back who you hope will sign, but if he doesn’t want to sign, Liverpool will be absolutely fine. He's a very good centre-back, he's a title winner at Liverpool, he's played in the Champions League final against Real Madrid. He's obviously a quality centre-back. It's not poor management [if he goes for free]. You can't physically make somebody sign a contract. Then it's your decision, do you keep him to the length of his contract or do you sell him?"

Konate has appeared in 16 matches for the Reds across all competitions this term. Despite featuring regularly under Arne Slot, Carragher believes there is still scope for the Frenchman to improve as he added: "It's still only a couple of games. He hasn't had a great start to the season and he needs to show a bit more consistency.

"He was fantastic against Real Madrid and he needs to keep that going over the next few months, it can't just be two games on the bounce. There are no secrets [to picking up your form]. It’s about working harder and you become more professional. It’s on your mind constantly that you want to get back into good form and every you think tiny detail will make a difference, whether that’s what you eat, what time you go to sleep, it’s just becoming an ultra-professional on and off the pitch."

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