Liverpool remain firmly in contention to sign Marc Guehiplaceholder image
Liverpool remain firmly in contention to sign Marc Guehi | Getty Images
Liverpool are desperate to enhance their defensive options in January
If Liverpool could be accused of making a mistake under Arne Slot, then the biggest would be the club’s failure to get Marc Guehi through the doors at Anfield after allowing negotiations to drag on to the final day of the summer window.
Richard Hughes got a lot of things right in his attempts to enhance the team even further from a position of strength after last year’s title win, however, leaving a bid for Marc Guehi until the closing hours of deadline day made little sense when it was a deal that most thought would be concluded in the early weeks of the window.
However, it appears that all hope of landing the England international is not yet lost heading into January, with Sky Sports revealing that Liverpool are the sole contenders to sign the defender in the upcoming window.
Marc Guehi to Liverpool transfer latest
Guehi, who is regarded as one of England’s most talented central defenders has just over seven months to run on his Crystal Palace contract before becoming a free agent.
The former Chelsea star, who has been at Selhurst Park since 2021, has been the subject of rampant transfer speculation for a long time, with Newcastle showing interest in the summer of 2024, Tottenham trying to sign him in January 2025 and Liverpool going the closest by having a bid of £35m accepted on deadline day only for Palace chairman Steve Parish to pull the plug on the deal at the eleventh hour.
Since then Guehi’s future has remained in the spotlight. Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid have both been linked with the Cobham academy graduate along with German champions Bayern Munich, who previously beat a number of English clubs to the signature of Guehi’s former teammate Michael Olise.
Quite how concrete their interest is remains to be seen, but the general feeling from Sky Sports is that those three clubs will only move for Guehi if and when his contract expires, potentially giving Liverpool a free-run to try and return to the transfer table and get the ball rolling in terms of discussions when the clock strikes midnight on New Years Day.
Palace may still be reluctant to sell Guehi. The reason they didn’t allow him to leave in January was because of a lack of squad depth heading into a maiden European campaign.
However, it’s also the club’s last chance to try and make some sort of money for arguably one of the most sought after defenders in world football, and if Liverpool can make their offer early, the Eagles might feel they have adequate time to get somebody else through the door.
Why Liverpool are so desperate to sign Marc Guehi
After selling Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen, Liverpool were left with a slight shortage of centre-back options heading into the new season.
To an extent they aimed to resolve this with the signing of Giovanni Leoni, but the teenager was only ever expected to be a squad player as he adapted to the demands of English football.
The Italian has since sustained an ACL injury, ruling him out for the remainder of the campaign. This means that club captain Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, who faces an uncertain future, and Joe Gomez as the club’s only centre-back options.
Van Dijk is Liverpool’s best defender but at the age of 34 is in the twilight years of his career as a professional. He’s asked to play every week and is usually paired with Konate, whose form has dipped hugely this campaign.
Meanwhile, Gomez, who has a shaky injury record, hasn’t been given many minutes. He was linked with a move away over the summer and is not thought to be someone that’s a major part of Slot’s long-term vision.
Overall, Liverpool have conceded 17 goals in 11 matches this term, giving them the seventh worst defensive record in the division. They’ve struggled with the threat of long-balls and set-plays, something which Slot admits he’s yet to find an answer to.
“They’ll regret that decision as well, Guehi in the summer, won’t they,” said Roy Keane on The Overlap.
Signing Guehi would immediately give Liverpool a boost in this area. He’s considered one of the best central defenders in world football at the moment, is much faster than the players Liverpool have at their disposal and is a real leader that could form a formidable partnership with Van Dijk.
Ultimately, he’s seen as the missing piece of their title jigsaw as they aim to rejuvenate their push for a second successive Premier League triumph.
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