Real Madrid added Dean Huijsen to their center back rotation last summer, and he has generally been a starter in his first season at the club. And while there have been some positives from the young Spanish international, his struggles in the big games have shown that there is a gap in quality that may ever prevent him from being a true star and starter in this defense where so much is demanded of center backs.
Antonio Rudiger has thus put himself back on the radar as someone who is likely to prolong his Real Madrid career, but Madrid still need more quality in the center of defense, especially with their best player at the position, Eder Militao, continuing to struggle with nagging injury woes.
Impending free agent Ibrahima Konate has been on and off the Real Madrid transfer radar throughout the 2025/26 season, but according to a new report from French transfer expert Andres Onrubia and Roddy Cons over at Diario AS, the Liverpool star center back is on the radar once more. Konate remains interested in joining Real Madrid this summer, and with Liverpool still not agreeing to terms with the French international on a deal, he is still waiting for Madrid. And he has reportedly also rejected offers from other big clubs in European football.
Ibrahima Konate still wants Real Madrid
Konate is easy enough to sign, since he will be a free agent this summer. And Real Madrid have won Champions Leagues with high profile free agent signings in Rudiger and David Alaba. The thing is, as Madridistas realize better than anyone, these kinds of players are free in name only. They will still come with big wages and only a few years of top football left in them, because even younger options like Konate, who is still 26, will have a lot of wear and tear and injury issues that make them question marks.
Real Madrid fans are more excited about the young star center backs in world football. More exciting players with better 2025/26 seasons like Alessandro Bastoni and Nico Schlotterbeck are truly getting them moving and look more like sure fire starters for the biggest club in the world, whereas Konate is having a pretty bad year for Liverpool, which is why the Reds are not throwing the kind of money he wants at him. So Konate being back on the radar isn't bad news for Real Madrid, but for the fans, it is a concern that Florentino Perez will go for the "free" option instead of the best one in defense.