Liverpool might be watching closely as Crystal Palace edges closer to a significant transfer move — and not just because the pair will meet in the curtain-raiser for the new season at Wembley in the Community Shield.
The Selhurst Park side has agreed personal terms with Ousmane Diomande and remains in talks with Sporting CP over the transfer fee, according to Fabrizio Romano. He is valued at around $54 million (£40 million). Diomande, of course, is being lined up as a potential replacement for Marc Guehi. Liverpool holds an interest in the England ace and could make a move if the price is right.
With a year left on his contract, Guehi could be on the move this summer. According to The Guardian, the player would be prepared to see out the final year of his deal before moving as a free agent.
But either way, it appears that Guehi will be on the move at some point. Tottenham and Arsenal have also been linked with him in recent times, while the level of interest would surely grow if he was available for no transfer fee at all.
If Crystal Palace gets a deal over the line for the highly-rated Diomande, who has been watched by Liverpool in the past, then that would pave the way for Guehi to make an exit either now or in 12 months.
The England ace and Crystal Palace captain is looking to make the next step in his career at 24 years old. If he does leave this summer, though, he will need to be somewhere that he plays regularly to ensure he cements a place in the England side before the World Cup.
Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace with the FA Cup.
(Image: Getty Images)
Speaking on the It’s Called Soccer podcast last month ahead of the FA Cup final, Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish admitted that his club has "to be really open" to allowing players to move on in order to continue attracting them.
"The first thing is we need to stay in the division," he said. "That's the first north star, and that's obviously not easy as we can see from even Man United and Tottenham this year.
"They're not really close to relegation, but that's arguably because we have all taken a lot of points this year off the bottom three clubs. Anything that increases the risk of that dramatically, it's very difficult to find a way to do it.
"After that, then, of course, we will be a trading club. We want to survive and thrive in this division for two reasons: firstly because financially you have to cover the cost of running the club and, secondly, because the kind of players we want to attract, we need to show them a pathway.
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“We're a destination for those great pros that have still got a massive competitive instinct, still want to do well, still want to give everything when they cross the white line but they realise they're probably not quite going to get to the level above us.
"Then there are players that are on a journey and on their way to the Bayern Munich's and other clubs. We realized over a period of time that we have to be really open to it."
Last year, Michael Olise moved to Bayern Munich. This summer, Eberechi Eze has been linked with a move elsewhere, though no interest has firmed up yet. Guehi, it seems, is the likeliest to head for the exit door.
Liverpool.com says: Guehi is a solid defender but if he wants guaranteed minutes, Ibrahima Konate might have something to say about that. The Frenchman is also heading into the last year of his contract, though, so that is a situation that needs sorting out too.