By John Richardson

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Marc Guehi has told his advisors that his heart is set on a move to Real Madrid after an agreement to join Liverpool collapsed at the 11th hour. That could be a double blow for Arne Slot’s Premier League champions because Ibrahima Konate is running his contract down in readiness to leave on a free transfer next summer – with Real Madrid amongst a cluster of clubs interested. Crystal Palace halted England defender Guehi’s £35 million transfer to Anfield on the last day of the summer transfer window after failing to secure a replacement. But hopes that the deal would be resurrected either in January or next summer when Guehi’s own contract ends are poised to be shattered. Having been informed that Real Madrid are now poised to enter negotiations for the 25-year-old who won praise for his handling of the recent transfer speculation. It means the ball is now in his court with no transfer fee required next summer and foreign clubs able to sign a pre-contract agreement over Guehi in January. Mirror Sport have been told that Guehi’s number one choice is to move to the Bernabeu and snub Liverpool despite being agonisingly close to joining them on September 1 st . He is excited by the prospect of playing abroad for the Spanish giants who have also expressed an interest in Konate who has turned down Liverpool’s offer of a new contract. It means the pair could both be linking up together in La Liga leaving Liverpool in the cold. Earlier this week, Reds boss Slot admitted he felt some personal sympathy for Guehi, who will appear for Palace against Liverpool next weekend. “For us it was of course a disappointment, for the player I assume, as well, because he was expecting to come to us,” he told Sky Sports . “I try to put myself in the player’s shoes, but that can happen with a player from us as well, maybe a player wanted to leave but in the end couldn’t because we couldn’t get a player we wanted, that happens in football many times and the good thing in football is, especially after the international break, everybody comes back, accepts the situation and knows he has to perform well. “But if a player wants a transfer that he doesn’t get, then you always feel for him. If it’s a player of my team, you talk to him, make sure he gets his energy back and keeps going again, and that is probably what has happened at Palace with Marc Guehi.” Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.