10 hours ago
5
Top talent on the cheap
©TM/IMAGO
Liverpool fans could be forgiven for experiencing a bout of deja vu, as they have seen yet another one of their star players leave on a free transfer. Last summer, academy graduate Trent Alexander-Arnold ran down his contract before trading Anfield for the Santiago Bernábeu. This summer, centre-half Ibrahima Konaté has done the same, with Real Madrid confirming his arrival as a free agent this week. The Reds are also set to lose full-back Andy Robertson on a free transfer to Tottenham, but given his age, that one will be less of a blow.
In a Real Madrid club statement, the club simply stated that the defender would join on a four-year deal ahead of the new season. Konaté recently saw his market value fall by -€5m in the latest Premier League market value update, but even that is a fair sum to lose for nothing. But where does Konaté rank among the most valuable free transfers in history?
Most valuable free transfers
Leading the way is Kylian Mbappé, who sensationally traded Paris Saint-Germain for Real Madrid after controversially running down his contract in Paris when his market value stood at a whopping €180m in 2024. The great Lionel Messi became too expensive for his treasured club Barcelona to hold on to in 2021, and in turn, he moved on to PSG for free with a market value of €80m. Real Madrid's acquisition of Alexander-Arnold last summer when he was worth €75m is third - although Los Blancos did have to pay Liverpool a small €10m compensation fee to get the Englishman early and play him at the Club World Cup
Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma is fourth having gone from AC Milan to PSG on a free when he had a €60m market value. Defender David Alaba tarded Bayern Munich for Real Madrid for no fee when he had a €55m market value, whilst Robert Lewandowski and Milan Škriniar went on free transfers to Bayern and PSG respectively when they were worth €50m. Paul Pogba returned to Juventus from Man United for nothing when he boasted a €48m market value. As illustrated in the graphic above, Konaté now ranks joint ninth on the list.
Note: When you search for something on Google, you’ll see a box with the latest news alongside the usual results. If you set Transfermarkt as your preferred source, our content will appear there more often. Add Transfermarkt as your preferred source here.
