Liverpool are reportedly ‘still keen’ on signing Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi, as per the Daily Mail.
After letting Jarell Quansah leave the club in the summer transfer window, the Reds decided to sign Giovanni Leoni from Parma to reinforce the defensive department.
Following that, Arne Slot has been left with Virgil Van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez, and the Italian as options for the centre-back position. However, Leoni is still very young and needs time to develop, while Gomez has struggled with fitness problems in recent years.
So, the Dutch boss felt he needed more depth at the back, and the Reds decided to make a move to buy Guehi from Crystal Palace this summer. It was reported that the Englishman even completed the medical at Anfield, but Oliver Glasner refused to allow the move to go through as they couldn’t manage to find a suitable replacement.
Liverpool have started the season with Konate and Van Dijk as the main centre-back pairing, but the Frenchman has been inconsistent thus far this season, and Slot’s side have struggled to keep clean sheets. On the other hand, Leoni picked up a serious knee injury on his debut, and his season is all but over.
The Daily Mail report that Liverpool are planning to sign a new defender next year and are ‘still keen’ on purchasing Guehi, with his existing deal set to expire at the end of this season.
Guehi to Liverpool
It is unlikely that the South London club will allow his departure in January. So, signing him for free next summer seems to be the most likely outcome for Liverpool at the moment.
Since moving to Selhurst Park from Chelsea, Guehi has established himself as one of the best defenders in the Premier League. He guided the Eagles to win the FA Cup and Community Shield recently and has secured his place in the England national team’s starting line-up.
Guehi, valued at around £39m by Transfermarkt, is a Premier League-proven player and is still just 25. So, signing a player of his qualities for free would be a great business for Liverpool should they manage to pull that off.
