Liverpool confirmed Konaté's departure on Sunday, the day after Arne Slot was sacked, as the club's summer of transition accelerated on multiple fronts.
The 27-year-old's decision to run down his contract and join Real Madrid follows the same path taken by Trent Alexander-Arnold, who made the same move a year earlier.
Konaté's deal is understood to hinge on Florentino Pérez being re-elected as Real Madrid president on Sunday, which is widely expected, states BBC Sport. Ben Jacobs reported that Madrid had been "well-positioned having already discussed terms last year."
Konaté joined Liverpool from RB Leipzig in 2021 for £35m and made 183 appearances in all competitions, winning the Premier League, the FA Cup and two League Cups. He posted an emotional farewell on social media, paying tribute to the late Diogo Jota among those he described as lifelong friendships formed during his time at Anfield.
His departure follows that of Alexander-Arnold and represents a second successive summer in which Liverpool have lost a key defensive player to the Bernabéu at no transfer cost — a pattern that will intensify scrutiny on the club's contract management under the current Fenway Sports Group structure.
If completed, Konaté becomes the second player to move directly from Liverpool to Real Madrid in back-to-back summers. He and Alexander-Arnold formed a partnership on the right side of Liverpool's defence, making 93 appearances together, and will now be reunited at the Bernabéu under new head coach José Mourinho.