Marc Guehi has slipped through Liverpool’s fingers and signed for Man City, leaving the Reds to assess alternative targets at centre-back.
The Guehi Blow: A quick look
• City swoop: 25-year-old Marc Guehi has joined Manchester City after a £20m fee (plus £10m in add-ons) was agreed with Crystal Palace
• FSG stance: Liverpool chose not to rival City’s bid this month with the defender reportedly to earn £300,000 per week at Man City.
• Contract clock: With Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, and Joe Gomez entering the final stages of their current deals, the Reds must now find long-term alternatives.
• Scouting restart: Liverpool will be assessing a list of 10 potential targets including Nico Schlotterbeck, Edmond Tapsoba and others
Guehi’s signature was supposed to be a formality until Crystal Palace pulled the plug on a deal on deadline day.
Now, with the defender’s contract up at the end of the season, Man City‘s minimum £20 million spend and reported salary offer of £300,000 per week have proved too much for Palace and the player to turn down.
This leaves Liverpool in search of another defender, whether that be in January or the summer.
With Ibrahima Konate‘s contract expiring in the summer – Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk will have just one year left on their deals, too – the Reds need to bolster their defensive ranks with genuine quality.
Here are 10 players Liverpool could target as alternatives to Guehi.
Micky van de Ven
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, February 3, 2024: Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin (R) is challenged by Tottenham Hotspur's Micky van de Ven during the FA Premier League match between Everton FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC at Goodison Park. The game ended in a 2-2 draw. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
• Club:Tottenham | Age: 24 | Foot: Left
• Height: 6’4″ | Usual side: Left
• 2025/26 league aerial duels won: 40.7%
Micky van de Ven mightn’t be playing for a thriving team at the moment, but he has been a consistent standout at Tottenham over the last two years, even when struggling in the league.
At 24 years old, he is rapid and significantly better than Ibrahima Konate on the ball. However, he has won just 40.7 percent of his aerial duels in the league this season, despite standing at 6’4″ tall.
Another thing going against the Dutchman is the fact that he pretty much exclusively plays on the left. With the national team, where Van Dijk takes that position, he shifts to left-back.
Van de Ven said of the Liverpool captain: “I speak with him on the pitch a lot and off the pitch I also speak with him, and I think everybody can see he’s an unbelievable defender.
“It’s always good to play next to him because you can trust and you know what he can do for you and you know what he can bring into the game, so yeah, I have a good relationship with him.”
Nico Schlotterbeck
LONDON, ENGLAND - Tuesday, March 7, 2023: Borussia Dortmund's Nico Schlotterbeck, almost lost in the yellow smoke, during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 2nd Leg game between Chelsea FC and Borussia Dortmund at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea won 2-0, 2-1 on aggregate. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
• Club: Borussia Dortmund | Age: 26 | Foot: Left
• Height: 6’3″ | Usual side: Left
• 2025/26 league aerial duels won: 65.7%
At 6’3″, Nico Schlotterbeck is a commanding presence in the air and incredibly forward-thinking on the ball, ranking in the top one percent of centre-backs for progressive passes over the last year, in which he has primarily played on the left of a back three under Niko Kovac.
Earlier this campaign, Merseyside journalist David Lynch said the German “is someone they definitely do like and have watched.”
While Liverpool will want to avoid spending big this window, they may be wise to do so given that a good World Cup would surely boost Schlotterbeck’s price further in the summer.
Statistic (Per 90) Van Dijk Schlotterbeck Bastoni Konate
Pass Completion % 90.7% 87.8% 86.3% 90.0%
Progressive Passes 7.08 7.60 5.37 4.01
Progressive Carries 0.89 1.09 1.91 0.87
Aerial Duels Won 3.91 1.80 1.54 3.05
Tackles + Interceptions 1.65 3.25 2.99 2.20
Clearances 6.23 3.73 3.29 6.50
Source: FBref/Opta – Comparison against positional peers in Men’s Big 5 Leagues & UCL over last year as of 19.01.2026
Joel Ordonez
3D3HGJK Bruges, Belgium. 05th Nov, 2025. Joel Ordonez of Club Brugge during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD4 match between Club Brugge KV and FC Barcelona at Jan Breydelstadion in Bruges, Belgium on November 5, 2025 (Photo by Andrew SURMA/ Credit: Sipa US/Alamy Live News
• Club: Club Brugge | Age: 21 | Foot: Right
• Height: 6’2″ | Usual side: Right
• 2025/26 league aerial duels won: 66.7%
A surprise name to be linked with Liverpool, Joel Ordonez has been impressing for Club Brugge at a young age.
A right-footed centre-back, the Ecuadorian began his career with Deportivo Azogues before establishing himself in the academy at Independiente del Valle, breaking into their first team before securing a move to Club Brugge in 2023.
He debuted for his national team in March 2024 and already has 14 caps, predominantly playing as a centre-back but also at right-back on occasion.
The 21-year-old has played 18 times to date in the Champions League, too, leading to several links popping up in recent months.
Reports from Ecuador even say he is close to a £35 million move, but Merseyside sources have refuted this.
Jan Paul van Hecke
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Sunday, August 24, 2025: Brighton & Hove Albion's Jan Paul van Hecke during the FA Premier League match between Everton FC and Brighton & Hove Albion FC at Bramley-Moore Dock. Everton won 2-0. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
• Club:Brighton | Age: 25 | Foot: Right
• Height: 6’2″ | Usual side: Right
• 2025/26 league aerial duels won: 55.4%
If Liverpool are looking for a player who has Premier League experience, then Jan Paul van Hecke could be their best option.
A good all-round defender, he would play on the right side and provide a calming presence. In possession, he is good at playing incisive passes into midfield, something Arne Slot is very keen on.
Over the last year, he has averaged 6.23 progressive passes per 90 minutes domestically, placing him in the top five percent of comparable players across Europe’s top five leagues. Konate has averaged 3.94 per 90 according to FBRef.
Ousmane Diomande
2WC48EE January 13 2024: Ousmane Diomande (Ivory Coast) looks on during a African Cup of Nations Group A game, Ivory Coast vs Guinea Bissau, at Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara, Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Kim Price/CSM
• Club: Sporting | Age: 22 | Foot: Right
• Height: 6’2″ | Usual side: Right
• 2025/26 league aerial duels won: 63%
The Cote d’Ivoire international has long been courted by Premier League clubs, with Liverpool among those interested, This Is Anfield reported back in the January window of 2024.
A January transfer is highly unlikely for this commanding centre-half, though, as he only last month signed a new contract at Sporting with a rumoured release clause of £70 million – a lot to pay for a youngster from the Liga Portugal.
Alessandro Bastoni
MILAN, ITALY - Tuesday, February 15, 2022: Liverpool's Harvey Elliott is challenged by FC Internazionale Milano’s Alessandro Bastoni during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 1st Leg game between FC Internazionale Milano and Liverpool FC at the Stadio San Siro. (Handout photo by UEFA)
• Club: Inter Milan | Age: 26 | Foot: Left
• Height: 6’2″ | Usual side: Left
• 2025/26 league aerial duels won: 63.3%
For many, Alessandro Bastoni would be the dream centre-back signing as one of Europe’s most sought-after defenders.
With experience of playing in a back four and on the left of a back three, he has proved his worth in Europe as a key member of Inter’s defensively-minded side that has reached the Champions League final twice in the last three years.
The chances of him moving on soon are slim, however. Last month, he said: “There’s nothing going on. I’m happy here and I don’t have any problems. I don’t think about things outside the pitch.
“Will I stay at Inter? Probably, yes.”
Castello Lukeba
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Sunday, December 11, 2022: Liverpool's Fabio Carvalho (R) is challenged by Olympique Lyonnais' Castello Lukeba during the Dubai Super Cup 2022 match between Liverpool FC and Olympique Lyonnais at Al Maktoum Stadium. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
• Club: RB Leipzig | Age: 23 | Foot: Left
• Height: 6ft | Usual side: Left
• 2025/26 league aerial duels won: 41.7%
One of a host of talented young French defenders, Castello Lukeba is more versatile than most on this list; the RB Leipzig man is a left-footed defender who has played on both sides during his young career.
Perhaps the relative weakness of the Bundesliga and his low aerial duel win percentage would put Liverpool off, but they have been linked in the past by French media.
Ezri Konsa
LONDON, ENGLAND - Thursday, November 13, 2025: England's Ezri Konsa during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifying Group K match between England and Serbia at Wembley Stadium. England won 2-0. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
• Club:Aston Villa | Age: 28 | Foot: Right
• Height: 6ft | Usual side: Both
• 2025/26 league aerial duels won: 53.8%
With Liverpool needing to recruit homegrown players, part of the reason for Marc Guehi being wanted, Ezri Konsa could be the next-best option in that department.
While it would cost a considerable fee to take him from Aston Villa in the summer, the right-footer has proven himself as a quality defender in the Premier League and is currently outperforming Liverpool’s centre-halves.
Given the situation involving Harvey Elliott and the two clubs, however, it may be a difficult environment for Liverpool to do a deal without breaking the bank.
One reason the Reds may look elsewhere, especially if Villa were to demand a big fee, is Konsa’s age. At 28 years old, he is hardly old, but he would lack resale value in future.
Maxence Lacroix
LONDON, ENGLAND - Sunday, August 10, 2025: Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitike challenges Crystal Palace's Maxence Lacroix (R) during the FA Community Shield match between Crystal Palace FC and Liverpool FC at Wembley Stadium. Palace won 3-1 on penalties after a 2-2 draw. (Photo by Harry Murphy/Propaganda)
• Club:Crystal Palace | Age: 25 | Foot: Right
• Height: 6’2″ | Usual side: Centre of back three
• 2025/26 league aerial duels won: 58.3%
An outside shout for a player whom Liverpool could pursue, Maxence Lacroix has been quietly impressing at Palace while Guehi has stolen the headlines.
Playing in the centre of Oliver Glasner’s back three, he is right-footed, known to feature on the left and right, and he could be a cheaper option than some of the others on this list.
Edmond Tapsoba
Edmond TAPSOBA (Image: Anke Waelischmiller/SVEN SIMON/DPA/PA Images)
• Club:Bayer Leverkusen | Age: 26 | Foot: Right
• Height: 6’3″ | Usual side: Centre of back three
• 2025/26 league aerial duels won: 60%
Another man used to playing in a back three is Edmond Tapsoba and, crucially, he has worked effectively with Xabi Alonso in the past – a bonus if Liverpool were to make a managerial change for the Spaniard.
The Reds have been interested in the Burkina Faso international for a long time, notably asking about his availability during the centre-back crisis of early 2021, only to be told he would cost over £44m at the time.
Liverpool opted instead to get Ozan Kabak on loan and sign Konate the following summer.