Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is not a man to mess around with, and he is not a man who messes around. As young Cox Energy upstart Enrique Riquelme desperately tries to mount a credible campaign against the long time Presi with promises of big names like Manchester City duo Rodri and Erling Haaland, Perez is already working on sealing transfers he can sign, seal, and deliver to the Bernabeu faithful when he is confirmed for the third reign of his presidency.
Obivously bringing back the likes of Nico Paz, Jacobo Ramon, and Victor Munoz to the Real Madrid first team on buy back clauses could happen, and Paz would actually be as big of a signing as anyone Real could bring in from the outside this summer after grading out as one of WhoScored's top five players for the 2025/26 season in Europe's top five leagues.
But Florentino Perez does have a marquee signing from another elite European power in mind as the first official signing of his next presidential reign. According to reporting on the television program El Chiringuito, via the Madrid Zone, the move for former Liverpool star Ibrahima Konate is actually a done deal. Per El Chiringuito, if Florentino wins the Real Madrid presidential election, Konate will be officially confirmed as a Merengue player.
Florentino Perez is serious about the defense
Konate is a free agent after failing to agree to a new deal with Liverpool, and he has been on Real Madrid's radar for more than a year now. French Madrid stars Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, and, of course, Kylian Mbappe have been subtly recruiting the world-class Konate, who looks set to join former teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold as a much needed center back upgrade to this struggling Real Madrid back line.
While Konate is not coming off his best season in 2025/26 for Liverpool, the Reds were honestly terrible as a whole, and it is hard to hold the campaign against the Frenchman. Konate is the best center back to hit free agency since David Alaba and Sergio Ramos did in 2021, and Konate is a lot younger than Ramos, Alaba, and another Madridista Antonio Rudiger were when they hit the open waters.
Signing Ibrahima Konate alone is not enough to upgrade a Real Madrid central defense that has been weak for years, even when they were actually winning Champions Leagues under Carlo Ancelotti, but is a great, necessary, and economical first step.
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