Marc Guehi crystal palace
Liverpool are reportedly close to finalising a deal to sign Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi, as per Spanish outlet Fichajes.
Following Jarell Quansah’s departure last summer, the Reds decided to purchase Giovanni Leoni to bolster the defence. They even came very close to signing the Palace star on deadline day, but the Eagles eventually blocked the move.
Therefore, Arne Slot has started the season with the Italian plus Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez and Virgil Van Dijk as centre-back options. Liverpool won the league with these defensive options last term, so they may have thought they would be able to cope this campaign as well.
However, Leoni has been ruled out for the rest of the season, having sustained a serious knee injury. On the other hand, with Konate’s long-term future currently uncertain at Anfield, he has been struggling to showcase his best.
Even Van Dijk hasn’t been at his best thus far. As a result, Slot’s side’s level has dropped this campaign, leaking 29 goals in 19 matches across all competitions. They have found themselves in the bottom half of the Premier League table at the moment.
Now, Fichajes state that Liverpool are looking to sign a new centre-back to replace Konate and have reignited their interest in Guehi, who has made it clear that he has no intention of extending his deal, which is set to expire next summer, at Selhurst Park.
Guehi to Liverpool
After negotiating over the last few months, Liverpool are close to signing Guehi as a free agent, and the move is ‘practically a done deal’. Real Madrid and Bayern Munich attempted to sign him, but the player has been most convinced by the Merseyside club’s project.
Guehi, valued at around £44m by Transfermarkt, has established himself as one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League since moving to Selhurst Park from Chelsea. He has guided his team to win the FA Cup and the Community Shield. Moreover, he has secured his place in the England national team’s starting line-up.
At the age of 25, the Crystal Palace star is currently at the prime stage of his career and would be a great coup for Liverpool should the move eventually go through next year.