Real Madrid have been tipped to use the same approach which lured Trent Alexander-Arnold away from Liverpool to potentially sign his former teammate Ibrahima Konaté and Arsenal teeneger Myles Lewis-Skelly next summer, a new report has claimed.
Madrid have been perhaps the greatest exponents of the free agent market in recent years, signing the likes of Kylian Mbappé, Antonio Rüdiger and David Alaba for ’nothing’ following the expiration of their contracts at previous clubs.
Los Blancos have been at it again this summer, working behind the scenes to ensure Alexander-Arnold opted against renewing his stay at Liverpool in order to join them. However, they have ended up paying a fee to have the fullback available for the start of the Club World Cup.
Madrid are plotting their next free-agent additions for next summer, according to MARCA, and a couple of Premier League stars are being considered. They want Liverpool defender Konaté and burgeoning Arsenal left-back Lewis-Skelly, both of whom will be entering the final years of their respective contracts at the start of the 2025–26 season.
MARCA suggest that “teams fear Real Madrid” in the transfer market, and their recent track record undoubtedly backs up such a claim. Alexander-Arnold’s impressive mastery of Spanish upon his Madrid arrival suggests that the deal was in the works for months, and Liverpool may well be concerned that the Spanish giants will work similar magic and convince Konaté to run down his contract at Anfield before jumping ship.
The powerful French defender, who played a key role in the Reds’ Premier League title success, is said to be their priority target, but Valencia’s Cristhian Mosquera is also of interest.
Arsenal, unlike Liverpool, are thought to be unfazed by these links to Real Madrid. Fabrizio Romano claims that the Gunners “maintain their confidence” that Lewis-Skelly will renew his contract as negotiations are already thought to be at “advanced stages.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Real Madrid to Use ‘Fear Factor’ in Pursuit of Two Premier League Stars.
