Marc Guehi’s future has been the talk of the town over the last few days, with Liverpool getting linked with a move for the centre-back.
It’s no secret that the Reds are on the lookout for a new defender ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.
Arne Slot’s back four has already had a fair few changes made to it, with Milos Kerkez the next player in line to join the club.
Jeremie Frimpong was the first player brought in by Slot this summer, with the Dutchman coming in as a direct replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold.
And, seeing as though Jarell Quansah is on his way to Bayer Leverkusen, the Anfield outfit only have three senior centre-backs among their ranks.
Jarell Quansah in action for England U21 during their UEFA U21 Championship match against Germany.
Photo by Grzegorz Wajda/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
So, with that in mind, it isn’t a surprise to see several centre-backs linked with a move to Anfield this summer.
Liverpool and Crystal Palace could agree to a £40m deal for Marc Guehi this summer
One of the best defenders to have been linked with joining Slot’s squad is Marc Guehi.
The Crystal Palace captain only has a year left on his deal at Selhurst Park, with the Eagles looking to sell the Englishman so that he doesn’t leave on a free transfer at the end of the season.
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And, as per a new report from Daily Mail journalist Lewis Steele, it seems like a ‘handshake’ between the two clubs regarding a deal could be on the cards.
In his report, Steele outlined that Liverpool may try and ‘lowball’ Palace and only put in a bid of £30million when Oliver Glasner wants around £50million for his captain.
The report adds that this puts the middle ground of the deal to be worth around £40million, which, for a player of Guehi’s calibre, would be a steal.
Although this is purely just speculation at the moment, a ‘handshake’ between the two clubs could be achieved if the £40m figure can be met.
Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace in action during a Premier League match against Nottingham Forest.
Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images
Liverpool still need to extend Ibrahima Konate’s contract this season
Although some fans may see Guehi as the replacement for Konate next season, it still feels like the Frenchman has plenty to offer the club.
Virgil Van Dijk has recently signed a two-year extension at Liverpool, but since he’s 34 years old, there’s no knowing how good he’ll be by the summer of 2027.
If Guehi can stick around and fight for his place for the next couple of seasons, he would no doubt be the first in line to take over from Van Dijk.
However, if Konate leaves, which feels likely at the moment, the Reds will find themselves with a similar issue, as Konate is also a top-class talent and would be extremely difficult to replace.
Indeed, signing Guehi for nothing at the end of the 2025-26 season may seem tempting, but if Liverpool want to be competitive, they need world-class players across their entire squad and not just in their starting XI.
Of course, nothing is yet decided upon, but for a fee of £40million, Liverpool won’t be able to do any better.