The agent of an elite Premier League defensive talent has reportedly asked his agent to open talks over a 2026 switch to Real Madrid, despite Liverpool making a late play to secure a transfer of their own.
The Spanish giants are looking to sign a new centre-back next summer, one that can serve as a long-term mainstay alongside current new boy Dean Huijsen and veteran Bernabeu star Eder Militao.
The likes of Arsenal’s William Saliba, Liverpool star Ibrahima Konate and Bayern Munich standout Dayot Upamecano continue to be heavily linked with a switch to the Spanish capital, although the Gunners have made a record-breaking move to make sure their man stays put.
Other targets are also on Real’s radar, though, including Crystal Palace and England man Marc Guehi, who saw a deadline day switch to Anfield fall through in dramatic circumstances.
Guehi was crestfallen at falling to secure his move to Merseyside, although recent reports suggest he has since warmed to the idea of playing in LaLiga instead. Indeed, a recent report in The Mirror suggested that Real have now become his No.1 choice for a move next year.
And those rumours have now heightened after Spanish outlet SPORT revealed that Guehi has offered himself as a free transfer option to Real Madrid in January, although Konate and Upamecano are also set for that status next summer.
Given Real Madrid’s history of targeting free agents, Guehi is well aware that he has a good chance of joining Los Blancos and, as a result, has asked his agent to negotiate a transfer to The Bernabeu.
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Injury triggers Liverpool January move for Guehi
The biggest issue for Real when it comes to waiting around for Guehi until next summer could be Liverpool‘s desperation to bring in another central defender in the new year.
The Anfield outfit invested £26m (€30m, $35m) to bring in talented centre-back Giovanni Leoni from Parma over the summer, a player seen as having enormous potential in Italy.
The 18-year-old was handed his debut on Tuesday night against Southampton in the Carabao Cup, but Leoni’s night ended in agony as he was stretchered off with what initially looked like a heavy knock.
Sadly, though, for the player and Arne Slot, it has now been confirmed that the 6ft 5in talent has suffered an ACL tear and now faces between seven to nine months of rehabilitation.
That leaves Joe Gomez as the only back-up to the first-choice pairing of Virgil van Dijk and Konate, although Gomez is no stranger to injury issues himself.
To that end, TEAMtalk understands that the Reds, who have already considered moving for Guehi again in January, are ready to step up that pursuit as a matter of urgency.
The question now remains as to whether Real rate Guehi highly enough to put in an offer of their own for the defender in January, or move for other targets instead come the summer.
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