Liverpool are reportedly fearful of losing one of their most important players to a European rival, with Real Madrid and Manchester City both said to be keen on a shock move

Liverpool are starting to think Ibrahima Konate will move to Real Madrid rather than renewing his deal at Anfield, according to reports.

Liverpool halted their domestic losing skid at five with an opportunistic 2-0 win over Aston Villa at Anfield on Saturday, returning to third on the Premier League table.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk saluted the collective effort of his teammates to secure a 1-0 victory against Real Madrid in the Champions League.

Arsene Wenger has proclaimed that Florian Wirtz has "destroyed" Liverpool's title-winning midfield, with the Arsenal legend putting the blame on the £116 million ($154m) man for the Reds' struggles in this campaign.

Head coach Arne Slot was given a licence to build his own squad in the summer, with Liverpool breaking the British transfer record twice to sign Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak. They also invested heavily to land Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez.