Real Madrid have officially signed French defender Ibrahima Konate on a four-year contract, the club announced on Thursday (Jun 18). According to the club’s statement, Konate will remain with Real Madrid until 30 Jun, 2030 and will join his national teammates Kylian Mbappe and Aurelien Tchouameni at the Spanish club. The 27-year-old spent five seasons with Liverpool between 2021 and 2026, where he won the Premier League and FA Cup and also helped the team reach the UEFA Champions League final.&nbsp;Before moving to Liverpool, Konate played for French side Sochaux during the 2016-17 season and later represented Germany’s RB Leipzig, where he finished as a runner-up in the German Cup on two occasions.&nbsp;Also Read - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/fifa-2026-a-performance-to-be-proud-of-pm-starmer-praises-england-after-croatia-win-1781774976449">FIFA 2026 | 'A performance to be proud of': PM Starmer praises England after Croatia win</a>&nbsp;Since making his debut for France in 2022, Konate has earned more than 60 international caps. He was part of the French team that finished second at the 2022 FIFA World Cup after losing to Argentina in the final. He also helped France secure third place in the 2024--25 UEFA Nations League.&nbsp;Konate is currently representing France at the FIFA World Cup 2026, being held in the United States, Mexico and Canada. France began their campaign with an impressive 3-1 victory over Senegal.&nbsp;&nbsp;With inputs from agencies

Real Madrid have strengthened their squad with the signing of French defender Ibrahima Konate on a four-year deal. The former Liverpool centre-back is the club’s third major signing of the summer transfer window.

Real Madrid have officially signed French defender Ibrahima Konate on a four-year contract, the club announced on Thursday (Jun 18). According to the club’s statement, Konate will remain with Real Madrid until 30 Jun, 2030 and will join his national teammates Kylian Mbappe and Aurelien Tchouameni at the Spanish club. The 27-year-old spent five seasons with Liverpool between 2021 and 2026, where he won the Premier League and FA Cup and also helped the team reach the UEFA Champions League final. Before moving to Liverpool, Konate played for French side Sochaux during the 2016-17 season and later represented Germany’s RB Leipzig, where he finished as a runner-up in the German Cup on two occasions. Also Read - FIFA 2026 | 'A performance to be proud of': PM Starmer praises England after Croatia win Since making his debut for France in 2022, Konate has earned more than 60 international caps. He was part of the French team that finished second at the 2022 FIFA World Cup after losing to Argentina in the final. He also helped France secure third place in the 2024--25 UEFA Nations League. Konate is currently representing France at the FIFA World Cup 2026, being held in the United States, Mexico and Canada. France began their campaign with an impressive 3-1 victory over Senegal. With inputs from agencies

Real Madrid have strengthened their squad with the signing of French defender Ibrahima Konate on a four-year deal. The former Liverpool centre-back is the club’s third major signing of the summer transfer window.

French star Konate signs four-year deal with Real Madrid

After a tumultuous 48 hours where the French camp was battered by illness and injuries, a ray of hope has come for Les Bleus. The entire squad trained on the eve of the World Cup final, suggesting that France will be able to field their first XI against Argentina in the final of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

After a tumultuous 48 hours where the French camp was battered by illness and injuries, a ray of hope has come for Les Bleus. The entire squad trained on the eve of the World Cup final, suggesting that France will be able to field their first XI against Argentina in the final of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. According to an AFP report, all 24 members of the French squad were available at the start of the training session on Saturday evening. The news would have given coach Didier Deschamps a booster shot of confidence as well. At a pre-match presser, prior to the training session, Deschamps looked rather pessimistic and said he did not have information about the players. "We make sure to manage the situation as well as possible. The players were sleeping when I left, I don't have the latest information. We are doing our best to manage calmly. There will be information today. I will have some tonight and until tomorrow to make sure we are ready for this big game." Prior to the Wednesday semi-final clash against Morocco, France were dealt the first blow when Adrien Rabiot and Dayot Upamecano suffered illness. Coach Didier Deschamps was forced to make the change as Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate and Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana were picked as the replacement. Read more: FIFA World Cup 2022: France overpower a spirited Morocco 2-0 to set up the summit clash with Argentina Konate had a monstrous game as he managed to block several of Morocco's enterprising challenges. However, after the match, reports emerged that the centre-back pairing of Konate and Raphael Varane had fallen ill. The problems were compounded when new reports suggested that Theo Hernandez and Aurelien Tchouameni suffered knee injuries and hip bruises, respectively. Even before the beginning of the tournament, the French squad was hit by an injury crisis. Several big-ticket players such as N'Golo Kante, Paul Pogba, Christopher Nkunku and Karim Benzema. Read more: Big blow to France as Karim Benzema ruled out of FIFA World Cup due to injury Both Nkunku and Benzema got injured days before the World Cup was scheduled to begin. During the first match, Lucas Hernandez suffered a freak ACL injury, further adding to the chaos. With the crisis all but over, Les Bleus will seek to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to retain the World Cup trophy. Meanwhile, Messi's men will look to emulate the glory of Maradona's 1986 team. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

FIFA World Cup 2022: France get a lucky break as entire squad trains after virus setback

Several France players have caught colds, the French Football Federation said, as they prepare for the World Cup final against Argentina, with Raphael Varane and Ibrahima Konate the latest to fall ill on Friday. Centre back Dayot Upamecano and midfielder Adrien Rabiot missed Wednesday's 2-0 semi-final win over Morocco with the illness. Coach Didier Deschamps refused to panic after Wednesday's game and said they were being careful to ensure the illness did not spread.

Striker Randal Kolo Muani, who came off the bench to score France's second goal in their win over Morocco, said on Friday: "There's a little flu that's been spreading but nothing serious. They'll be well soon and be ready for Sunday."

A French press officer added: "As you know, Randal is not a doctor, we will communicate about it later."

Kolo Muani said the players who fell ill had been isolated.

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"Those who are sick stay in their room, they're being taken care of by the doctors and we've been enforcing social distancing. We're very strict about it," he said.

Forward Ousmane Dembele said: "We're not scared of that virus. Dayot and Adrien got a bit of a stomach ache, I made them a ginger and honey tea and then they felt better. I hope everyone will be ready for the final.

"Dayot got better and I think everyone will be ready. We've been taking precautions. The first day, Dayot stayed in his room and we brought him food and he was back with everyone the next day."

Deschamps was confident both Upamecano and Rabiot would be fit for Sunday's showdown at the Lusail Stadium.

"Dayot will be fit. Since Saturday he wasn't well for three days ... had a fever and that had an impact on his strength," he said on Wednesday.

"Given the tough match we had I decided not to play him and play Konate instead as he's shown he's good enough to play at this level.

"Rabiot was sick, was better this afternoon but not well enough so he stayed in the hotel. We have four days to rest so he should be better and available for Sunday."

Should Konate and Varane be out, however, Deschamps would face a difficult selection decision, as he would be without two of his top three defenders.

Several France players have caught colds, the French Football Federation said, as they prepare for the World Cup final against Argentina, with Raphael Varane and Ibrahima Konate the latest to fall ill on Friday.

Several France players have caught colds, the French Football Federation said, as they prepare for the World Cup final against Argentina, with Raphael Varane and Ibrahima Konate the latest to fall ill on Friday. Centre back Dayot Upamecano and midfielder Adrien Rabiot missed Wednesday's 2-0 semi-final win over Morocco with the illness. Coach Didier Deschamps refused to panic after Wednesday's game and said they were being careful to ensure the illness did not spread. Striker Randal Kolo Muani, who came off the bench to score France's second goal in their win over Morocco, said on Friday: "There's a little flu that's been spreading but nothing serious. They'll be well soon and be ready for Sunday." A French press officer added: "As you know, Randal is not a doctor, we will communicate about it later." Kolo Muani said the players who fell ill had been isolated. ALSO READ: Luka Modric could play Euro 2024 if Croatia qualifies, hints coach Zlatko Dalic "Those who are sick stay in their room, they're being taken care of by the doctors and we've been enforcing social distancing. We're very strict about it," he said. Forward Ousmane Dembele said: "We're not scared of that virus. Dayot and Adrien got a bit of a stomach ache, I made them a ginger and honey tea and then they felt better. I hope everyone will be ready for the final. "Dayot got better and I think everyone will be ready. We've been taking precautions. The first day, Dayot stayed in his room and we brought him food and he was back with everyone the next day." Deschamps was confident both Upamecano and Rabiot would be fit for Sunday's showdown at the Lusail Stadium. "Dayot will be fit. Since Saturday he wasn't well for three days ... had a fever and that had an impact on his strength," he said on Wednesday. "Given the tough match we had I decided not to play him and play Konate instead as he's shown he's good enough to play at this level. "Rabiot was sick, was better this afternoon but not well enough so he stayed in the hotel. We have four days to rest so he should be better and available for Sunday." Should Konate and Varane be out, however, Deschamps would face a difficult selection decision, as he would be without two of his top three defenders.

FIFA World Cup 2022 Final: Several French players down with flu ahead of mega clash vs Argentina

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French star Konate signs four-year deal with Real Madrid

FIFA World Cup 2022: France get a lucky break as entire squad trains after virus setback

FIFA World Cup 2022 Final: Several French players down with flu ahead of mega clash vs Argentina