Ibrahima Konate has joked about Kylian Mbappe calling him to join Real Madrid, as the light comment could trigger speculation over his Liverpool future.

Liverpool fans were extremely happy with the club’s summer business following the signings of some expensive stars. Alexander Isak headlined the summer spending spree while Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Giovanni Leoni, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong all arrived during a serious recruitment drive.

The fans still would have wanted the club to conclude the Marc Guehi transfer, as there are some concerns with their defensive depth. However, they missed out on the Crystal Palace star, and there are big concerns over Ibrahima Konate’s future.

Konate is heavily linked with Real Madrid, with the Spanish giants focused on getting the France international on a free transfer next summer. Talk of a new contract with Liverpool have not gained much momentum, which worries the supporters about the defender, especially if he was to take the same route as former star Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Konate is currently with the French national side for their World Cup qualifiers, as the media there asked him about his links with Real Madrid. As per reports via Football-Espana, the Liverpool star, when asked about the links to Real Madrid, commented that Kylian Mbappe was asking him to join, in a joking manner.

Konate said, “Yes, Kylian Mbappe is calling me every two hours.”

The response might have been a joke of sorts, but that may trigger an angry reaction from Liverpool fans who are already worried about the Real Madrid links. Liverpool are currently relaxed about the situation, as they are still aiming to get a new deal in place for the France international.

Recent reports stated that Konate might even consider a January departure if Liverpool went all out to bring Guehi in the winter window. However, there’s no chance the club might sell their key defender in the middle of the season, especially given Liverpool are widely expected to challenge on all fronts.

There was talk of a new deal from Liverpool’s end, and yet, things on that front have not gained any sort of momentum. Could the club take another risky approach like they did with Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk’s future last season? While those ideas worked for the veteran stars, Alexander-Arnold left for Real Madrid, as there are big fears that Konate will follow the former right back in a similar manner.