Liverpool are ready to swiftly move to try and wrap up a deal for Marc Guehi this week with a sizeable opening offer planned – and the England defender is likely to be an instant replacement for Ibrahima Konate, who looks poised to sign for Real Madrid, and with their coach Xabi Alonso not holding back in admitting his admiration for the defender.
The Premier League champions have not held back in splashing out the cash this summer on improving their squad, with no less than six new faces coming through the Anfield welcome doors so far this summer. However, at the same time, Liverpool have also been forced to say goodbye to some players somewhat against their will.
And with Trent Alexander-Arnold having been allowed to let his contract run down and join Real Madrid as a free agent, albeit with Los Blancos paying the Reds a €10m (£8.6m, $11.8m) fee to secure his early release for the Club World Cup, the Reds now face losing another crucial member of their defensive unit to the Spanish giants – this time in the form of Konate.
The French defender formed a crucial alliance with Virgil van Dijk at the heart of defence as Arne Slot’s side won the Premier League crown by a 10-point margin. But with his deal due to expire in under a year’s time and with an agreement on an extension yet to be reached, rumours of his sale to Real Madrid have been growing louder in the Spanish media.
And according to Defensa Central, an offer of around €46m (£40m, $54m) will be enough to persuade the Reds to sell – and they plan to immediately reinvest that money into a deal to bring Guehi to Anfield as his instant replacement in the heart of defence.
As TEAMtalk reported some months ago, Guehi has been very much on Slot’s radar this summer, with his contract at Palace also due to expire in June 2026. And with the Eagles making it clear that the 23-times capped England defender can leave for the right price, Liverpool have already agreed personal terms with the defender over a move to Anfield.
And while there were reports last month that Liverpool could try and ‘lowball’ Palace with a cheeky opening bid, it’s now claimed the imminent sale of Konate at Anfield will see the Reds come close to matching their valuation – and there is now a genuine belief and confidence a deal can quickly be wrapped up.
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Alonso makes clear why Real Madrid want Konate
Per reports on Sunday, the Reds ‘will make’ a bid of £40m for Guehi, and that will be their final offer for the 24-year-old.
The Sun has added that Guehi has his ‘heart set on’ a move to Anfield and ‘has always held a big interest in going to Anfield’, further fuelling Liverpool’s belief that they can get a deal over the line.
Their wish to sign Guehi has quickly been raised from a ‘like to sign’ to a ‘need to sign’ in the light of Konate’s failure to agree on an extension to his contract on Merseyside.
And wary of being stung twice by the same team over successive summers, Defensa writes that Liverpool are ‘preparing for Konate’s sale’ to the Spanish giants.
For his part, Xabi Alonso has not hidden from his side’s next requirement in the summer window.
And in hinting he wants to add more signings to address some shortcomings in his team following their crushing 4-0 loss to PSG in the Club World Cup semi-finals, Alonso told the media: “This championship has told me many things about what we are and what we have to improve. I leave with a plan in place for next year, in which we recover players and there will be changes.
“Next season will be different, but I leave with clear certainties. I keep all the information that this championship has told me. We want to build a team that plays as a unit and that we are all involved.”
And while not commenting directly on Konate, Defensa reports Alonso to have told president Florentino Perez: ‘He’s a fantastic player, powerful, with speed, good heading… a great centre-back for Madrid.’
Liverpool transfer latest: €90m striker approaches Reds;
Meanwhile, the agents of striker Benjamin Sesko have reportedly been in contact with Liverpool over a potential Anfield switch and having made clear what he can bring to their side, following Arsenal’s decision to snub the RB Leipzig frontman and pursue a deal for Viktor Gyokeres instead.
Liverpool, though, still look more likely to pursue Hugo Ekitike and their chances of landing him are growing, with Fabrizio Romano having confirmed he is a top target and Eintracht Frankfurt already bringing in a replacement striker.
Newcastle, however, are also on the scene and trying to land the Frenchman as cover and competition for Alexander Isak in what appears a very ambitious move from the Magpies.
Elsewhere, the Reds are seemingly warming to the sale of Luis Diaz and, while Barcelona are now officially out of the running, a report has named the price Bayern Munich are willing to pay and having also revealed how his sale could climb to astronomical new levels.
How Marc Guehi compares to Liverpool defenders last season
Guehi Van Dijk Konate Appearances 34 37 31 Tackles 61 38 40 Blocked shots 23 16 15 Ball recoveries 146 115 98 Ground duels won 99 54 62
Guehi’s stats up against Van Dijk and Konate in the 2024-25 Premier League