MADRID – The ghosts of Anfield’s Istanbul miracle still linger in Xabi Alonso’s veins, but the Spaniard’s loyalties have long since shifted to the white of Real Madrid. In a revelation that’s sent shockwaves through the Premier League, reports from Spain claim the 43-year-old – now firmly ensconced as Los Blancos’ head coach after his triumphant Leverkusen spell – has issued a “shocking statement” on a Liverpool player he’s “eager to bring into his squad.” The target? None other than Ibrahima Konaté, the mercurial French center-back whose defensive lapses have become Arne Slot’s personal tormentor. “If Liverpool don’t want him anymore, Madrid can be his next home next season,” Alonso is quoted as saying in a private briefing with club president Florentino Pérez, according to Marca’s explosive front-page splash this morning. The words, leaked via sources close to the Valdebebas training ground, paint Konaté as the “perfect fit” alongside Éder Militão and Antonio Rüdiger – a towering presence with ball-playing poise that echoes Alonso’s tactical blueprint of fluid, possession-dominant defending.
Alonso’s interest isn’t born of whimsy; it’s a calculated strike amid Real Madrid’s defensive overhaul. With Dani Carvajal sidelined until January and David Alaba’s contract ticking down like a time bomb, the backline has hemorrhaged goals – 14 conceded in La Liga’s last eight outings, a far cry from the Ancelotti era’s miserly record. Konaté, at 26, embodies the youth injection Pérez craves: 6’4” of raw power, 70% aerial duel success this term, and a penchant for progressive passes that would slot seamlessly into Alonso’s 4-3-3 evolution. “Ibra’s the missing piece – aggressive, technical, and hungry. He’d thrive with Fede [Valverde] inverting and Trent [Alexander-Arnold] bombing forward,” one Madrid insider told AS, echoing Alonso’s vision of a hybrid defense that mirrors his unbeaten Leverkusen side’s 2023-24 invincibility. The statement, delivered during a tactical review post-Liverpool’s 1-0 Champions League win over Madrid on November 4 – where Alexis Mac Allister’s 61st-minute strike exposed Blancos frailties – underscores Alonso’s frustration with current options. Trent, the ex-Red now acclimating fitfully at right-back, has managed just three starts since his Bosman switch, his adaptation hampered by language barriers and a “rough start” per club reports.
For Liverpool, this is a dagger to the heart of their faltering campaign. Slot’s Reds, mired in 11th after that humiliating 3-0 home capitulation to Nottingham Forest on November 22, have seen Konaté’s inconsistencies crystallize into catastrophe. The 26-year-old’s mistimed lunge gifted Forest’s opener to Murillo, his positional drift enabled Savona’s second, and a sloppy pass birthed Gibbs-White’s third – errors that prompted Slot’s infamous post-match snap: “If Real Madrid want him, they can come and get him.” With Conor Bradley’s ACL rupture sidelining him until March and Joe Gomez’s versatility stretched thin, Konaté’s form has nosedived: just 22 starts amid hamstring woes, his contract expiring in 2026 like a ticking grenade. Liverpool’s hierarchy, led by Michael Edwards, tabled a “final” £200,000-weekly extension last week, but whispers suggest Konaté’s camp – buoyed by Atleti overtures – is holding out for Madrid’s Galactico allure. “It’s a dangerous game,” Football365 warned, noting Alonso’s “contacts” at Anfield from his 2009-14 spell could grease the wheels for a summer swoop.
The saga ties into Madrid’s broader Premier League pillage. Trent’s acrimonious Anfield exit – booed on his Champions League return – fetched just €10 million in compensation, a sting that still rankles FSG. Alonso, the Istanbul hero who netted in that 2005 final, has wasted no time raiding his former club: reports claim he “urgently needs” Mac Allister after the Argentine’s midfield masterclass against Madrid, though transfer sage Pete O’Rourke dismissed a January move, insisting the £55 million gem is “happy at Liverpool.” Florian Wirtz, Slot’s £100 million summer coup from Leverkusen, is another Alonso obsession – the Spaniard reportedly “promised” Pérez he’d push for a 2026 reunion if the German becomes “available for a reasonable fee,” per Teamtalk, despite Madrid deeming it a “virtually impossible mission.” Even Jeremie Frimpong, eyed as Trent’s heir but snatched by Liverpool for £35 million, drew a “direct message” from Alonso urging a rethink – a plea rebuffed as the Dutchman beds in at Anfield.
X, the digital coliseum, erupted with the leak. #AlonsoRaid trended globally, amassing 1.8 million mentions by midday, with Kopites split between fury and resignation. “Slot’s handing Konaté to Xabi on a platter – after Trent, this is daylight robbery,” fumed @AnfieldWatch, whose thread dissecting the Frenchman’s errors racked 20,000 likes. Madridistas, meanwhile, salivated: @HalaMadridDaily posted a mock lineup with Konaté partnering Militão, captioning “Bienvenido, Ibra – Alonso’s masterstroke,” garnering 15,000 retweets. Punditry amplified the drama: Gary Neville on his podcast labeled it “poetic justice – Xabi turning Liverpool’s pain into Blancos gain,” while Jamie Carragher, ever the diplomat, urged: “Ibra’s a warrior when fit. Don’t let sentiment cloud it – if Madrid call, listen.”
Alonso’s “shocking” candor – rare for the reserved Basque – stems from necessity. Madrid sit third in La Liga, seven points behind Barcelona after a 2-1 El Clásico loss, their European campaign teetering post-Liverpool. Pérez, the transfer puppeteer, greenlit a £150 million war chest for January, with Arsenal’s William Saliba as the “dream” alongside Konaté. A summer deal could fetch £50 million, per valuations, funding Ajax’s Jorrel Hato as Slot’s contingency. Yet, for Konaté, the pull is visceral: Madrid’s Champions League pedigree, Alonso’s mentorship (the coach lauded his “immense” potential in a 2023 interview), and a reunion with ex-Red Trent. “Liverpool’s my home, but opportunities knock,” Konaté hinted cryptically on Instagram post-Forest, a photo of the Bernabéu captioned “Dreams evolve.”
As November’s chill grips Merseyside, Liverpool’s boardroom buzzes. Slot, post-Forest, vowed “no passengers,” but ceding Konaté to Alonso – his Liverpool successor in all but name – would sting like betrayal. Van Dijk, the skipper and Konaté’s on-pitch mentor, extended to 2027 amid his own Madrid flirtations, but a Reds clearout risks implosion. For Alonso, it’s redemption: from Anfield icon to Bernabéu architect, plundering the club that forged him. “If they don’t want him anymore,” the quote taunts, “Madrid can be his next home.” Next season’s Clasico of exiles – Trent, perhaps Mac Allister, now Konaté – looms as football’s cruel full circle.
In Madrid’s gilded halls, Pérez smiles. Alonso plots. And Anfield? It braces for another farewell. YNWA, but for how many more?
