Liverpool's fight to sign long-term target Marc Guehi could finally be over, with claims the defender's £30m move elsewhere is all but done
Marc Guehi
Liverpool and Man City are keen to sign Marc Guehi (Image: PA)
View 2 Images
Manchester City are reportedly confident they've outmanoeuvred arch-rivals Liverpool in securing the signature of Marc Guehi. Both clubs have been locked in extensive negotiations with the Crystal Palace defender, with Liverpool nearly clinching Guehi last summer.
However, a fee couldn't be agreed upon, giving City manager Pep Guardiola the opportunity to swoop in and pursue the 25-year-old. The title challengers are optimistic about finalising a £30m deal in the coming days.
The Mirror claim City have outpaced all competitors by offering Palace a sum the London club can't refuse. For his part, Guehi is eager to play under Guardiola. The Catalan coach has been eager to bolster his defence, particularly after injuries to Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias in recent matches.
Author avatar
Author avatar
This urgency led him to press Etihad chiefs to settle on a fee with their Palace counterparts.
Guehi's contract expires in June - and some of Europe's top clubs have been queuing up to sign him on a free transfer in the summer, including Liverpool after they missed out on him in the summer.
Meanwhile, Palace boss Oliver Glasner, discussing Guehi's prospects, said: "You will ask me all these questions again and again and again. I need to find one answer.
"I will always tell you the same, as long as I don't know anything else. Because, believe me, if I knew something. I would tell you. So I don't know what's going on.
"I don't know what will happen with Marc [Guehi]. I don't know what will happen with new players, and I don't know what will happen with JP [Jean-Philippe Mateta], I don't know anything."
Oliver Glasner and Marc Guehi
City appear to have won the race for the England and Palace defender
View 2 Images
These include Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Inter Milan, with Guehi able to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with an overseas club this month.
Guehi's potential arrival at City means Liverpool could be forced to look elsewhere, with the club still believed to be keen on bolstering their defensive options over the next couple of windows.
Slot was directly asked about Liverpool's interest in Guehi at his press conference ahead of the Arsenal match but insisted he won't speak about players at rival clubs.
Speaking about his current centre-back options, the Liverpool boss added: "Am I happy with number of options? Joe Gomez is back now, a big help. No manager in the world tells you he is happy they only have two fit, but we have Leoni, an unbelievable talent, who is back next season.
"As much as has been said about the spending, it is not that there is no limitation to that spending. This club has always tried to do smart things.
"In an ideal world you have more than two centre-halves available but you have to accept that situation. I know Jurgen Klopp also had problems there and played midfielders there at times. Nat Phillips played a lot! So that has been LFC for all these years."