Guehi could yet leave in Januaryplaceholder image
Guehi could yet leave in January | Getty Images
Liverpool seemed certain to sign Marc Guehi in the summer and could now lose out on him by making another signing.
If Liverpool made a mistake in the summer, it was not sitting round the negotiating table with Crystal Palace earlier than they did.
Richard Hughes got a lot of things right in his attempts to re-energise and rebuild, however, leaving a bid for Marc Guehi until the closing hours of deadline day made little sense when it was a deal that was expected to be sealed all summer. When the Reds allowed Jarrell Quansah to join Bayer Leverkusen, it seemed like only a matter of time, only for the transfer to collapse, primarily due to how late an offer was made.
Liverpool could lose out on Marc Guehi
There is a lengthy alternative shopping list if Guehi can’t be signed but Liverpool could well be about to make the sort of mistake that might be regretted in the future. The Crystal Palace skipper is a regular for England and this is a key part of his decision-making process for who he joins next. He has international colleagues at Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, two clubs who have both been credited with an interest, and has already agreed terms with Liverpool in the summer.
What might complicate matters is if the final contract offer that has been submitted to Ibrahima Konate is accepted, Guehi might think twice about joining Liverpool where he would have to compete with two players who captained the Netherlands and France respectively during this interntional break. Guehi is an obvious target with Madrid reportedly taking a back seat due to the player’s wage demands and Bayern only considering a move if they lose Dayot Upamecano, whose contract is also set to expire.
Van Dijk won’t be around for ever though and it may be that Guehi looks at the bigger picture and the opportunity to compete for trophies in England rather than chancing his luck abroad as well as learning from one of the best to ever play in his position.
Does Guehi still want to move to Liverpool?
Speaking to the Inside Track podcast, former Everton CEO and football consultant Keith Wyness believes that Guehi might not even see out the season at Palace:
“From what I understand, he’d like to go to Liverpool. But there’ll be an auction for him. He’s going to be a sought-after player in January. “I think Liverpool are saying, look, hang on, just moderate your demands and we’ll take you. I don’t think they’re going to pull out. I think they’re still interested in him, and he’s a quality player even though he’s injured at the moment.”
“I don’t think Real Madrid are out of the running by any means, though. I think there’s still big interest there.” If Liverpool do want Guehi, the only way to guarantee signing him is by making Palace an offer in January, neither Bayern nor Madrid are in the position to sign the 25-year old before the summer and it would add much-needed competition with Giovanni Leoni out injured for the rest of the season. If Konate decides not to extend his stay at Anfield, it makes it an even more obvious decision to make.
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