Xabi Alonso has made a direct request to Florentino: a footballer he already needs

Real Madrid still hasn't finished its activity in the European elite transfer market. The white club's top brass, however, would have stopped all types of operations involving the arrival of new players... although that decision is not at all to Xabi Alonso's liking.

The person responsible for the first team's technical direction has made it clear that Santiago Bernabéu locker room needs more changes, especially after the semifinal against PSG. That heavy defeat suffered in the Club World Cup is a significant shift in the squad's dynamics.

One of the names that are constantly being considered is Ibrahima Konaté. The French center-back, a Liverpool player, appeared a few months ago on the white club's list of potential signings due to his excellent defensive qualities. Also because of the ease his signing would represent: his contract with the red squad ends in the summer of 2026.

That's why the board led by Florentino Pérez aims for a free agent signing, a move Xabi Alonso agrees with in principle. He doesn't reject the arrival of a new top-level center-back for his squad, but rather the opposite: he wants to speed it up as soon as possible.

It's very important

That is the request that the Tolosa coach would have once again left at the Valdebebas offices. The critical situation at the heart of the white defense, where Dean Huijsen stands as the only certainty for Real Madrid, has led to more pressure on this matter. The injury to David Alaba, the doubts about Éder Militão, and the much-discussed Antonio Rüdiger and Raúl Asencio do not offer a good outlook.

In any case, Real Madrid doesn't seem willing to bring forward the signing of Ibrahima Konaté. The white club's leadership has several reasons for rejecting Xabi Alonso's wishes: the first refers to financial reasons and squad balance. After all, right now the group coached by the Basque strategist is complete, with 25 players.

Given the situation, a departure is necessary before allowing more footballers to join. Meanwhile, Liverpool has reacted to the pressure on one of its most recognizable defenders... setting an asking price even though he has only one year left on his contract, a clearly deterrent measure for the European football elite.

That €50 million ($54.4 million) release clause, which seems clearly high for the Madrid club's top brass, prevents any approach for a player Xabi Alonso wants to have right now. Everything suggests that he'll have to "dream" of Konaté while he chooses the footballer who will accompany Dean Huijsen.