Liverpool have submitted an opening bid for Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi worth £35million. The Reds' offer is a flat upfront fee for the England defender without any add-ons. Palace are open to selling their skipper because his contract at Selhurst Park expires in 12 months' time.
The Athletic report that the Eagles are yet to respond as they seek to secure a replacement for the 25-year-old. Palace had earlier floated the possibility of doing a swap deal that would have taken Joe Gomez on loan to the London club. But given Gomez's ability to play in multiple positions, Liverpool rejected the proposal of using him as a makeweight. Guehi is thought to be eager to make the move should Palace given the green light to a deal.
The two Premier League clubs have a healthy relationship as Liverpool look to sign a fourth senior centre-half before the window closes at 7pm on Monday. Oliver Glasner has gone public with his wish to keep Guehi but his employers do not want to lose the defender for free next summer.
Their No.6, who has 23 England caps, has no plans to extend his contract at Palace, where he has played since 2021. He has racked up 161 appearances and led them to FA Cup glory at Wembley back in May.
Liverpool are keen on signing the player after selling Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen for £35m earlier in the window. That leaves Virgil van Dijk, Gomez and Ibrahima Konate as the only senior central defenders.
The Premier League champions did sign Giovanni Leoni for a fee of £26m plus add-ons but the Italian is still only a teenager. Signed from Parma, Leoni is seen as a player with huge promise but Arne Slot will be eager not to overload the 18-year-old in his debut season on Merseyside.