Real Madrid are ready to pay Liverpool centre-back Ibrahima Konate €15m as a signing bonus to choose a move to La Liga, according to reports.

There have been widespread reports that Real Madrid are very interested in signing the France international with his contract coming to an endat Liverpoolin the summer.

Reports last week claimed that Liverpool had tabled a new and improved offer to renew Konate’s contract with TEAMtalkinsider Graeme Bailey revealing the details.

Bailey said: “Liverpool believe the proposal they have placed on the table is the most lucrative one yet in terms of basic salary.”

However, in an attempt to win the race for the Frenchman – who has been in disappointing form this season – Spanish website Defensa Centralhas claimed that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is ‘willing to pay the player around €15 million as a signing bonus’.

The report adds that ‘sources close to the club believe the defender has decided to leave Anfield’ after five seasons at Liverpool that has seen him win the Premier League, FA Cup and two League Cups.

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Revealing Konate talks, Liverpool head coach Arne Slot said last month: “We are in talks with him so that tells you what we want. It’s clear we would like him to stay but negotiations are ongoing so let’s see where that ends. We wouldn’t be in negotiations if we didn’t want him to stay.

“Ibou has had a very good spell recently. He had a lot of good games earlier in the season but then he was also part of the reason why we conceded a goal. His general performances were good but then a small mistake he made immediately led to a goal and so he was judged differently.

“But he is having a very good partnership with Virgil since I’ve been here and, just like Virgil, he has always been fit. Touch wood. These two are vital for us, not only because of the quality they have but because of the lack of options we have behind.”

Former Everton CEO Keith Wyness insists Konate “will be off” in the summer and will come into his best form in the last few months of the season as he pursues a move to Real Madrid.

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Wyness told Football Insider: “I think that, yeah, look, he’s going to be gone. There’s no doubt about it. He will be off, and I think it will be the right thing.

“As I say, you’ll see him play in a very good second part of the season. He will be coming back to the form that had Real Madrid and all the others looking at him, and he’ll start to show up really well.

“I’ve seen it so many times with players when they come towards the end of that contract. Suddenly, that effort is now at 110% rather than the 90% that you’ve seen at the start of the season.

“Look, it’s unfortunate, but that’s the way the game works sometimes. I’m just saying it’s human nature that you’re going to start feeling that pressure, and you’re going to start performing better.

“I’m not saying it’s necessarily premeditated, but certainly it’s something that happens, and it’s a part of human performance and human nature.

“Yes, I think he’ll be gone. I think it’s very clear.

“Jacquet is obviously the answer to that solution and it’ll be a change of the guard at the back.

“Now Virgil van Dijk is going to be the interesting one as well.

“Will there be a replacement coming in as well? Because there’s no doubt he’s coming to the end of his days as well.”