According to reports, Liverpool are ‘adamant’ that they won’t sign Marc Guehi in January, while it has also been claimed that he has a new ‘priority’.
Liverpool had a near-perfect summer transfer window as they were comfortably the biggest spending club in Europe, investing around £415m in incomings.
The Reds cashed in on valuable assets as the exits of Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Jarell Quansah and Harvey Elliott raised funds, while Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez were their most notable signings.
Liverpool’s prolonged pursuit of Isak paid off on deadline day as they set a new British record, signing the world-class striker from Newcastle United for around £125m.
Arne Slot’s side also wanted to sign Guehi on deadline day, though this proposed transfer fell through at the eleventh hour.
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Guehi has emerged as one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League, though he was available for a cut-price fee in the summer as he is in the final year of his contract.
Liverpool agreed on a £35m fee with Palace for Guehi on deadline day, though Oliver Glasner’s side pulled out of the deal after failing to land West Ham newbie Igor Julio from Brighton as a replacement.
This leaves Liverpool short at centre-back and they would be in trouble if Virgil van Dijk and/or Ibrahima Konate get injured.
Therefore, it was assumed that Liverpool would return with a new offer for Guehi in January, but The Times reporter Paul Joyce has revealed that this is unlikely.
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According to Joyce, Liverpool are ‘adamant’ that they ‘will not try to sign Guehi in January’ as they ‘would now only sign the England international on a free transfer next summer’.
Guehi also attracted interest from Spurs and Newcastle United in the summer, though it was widely reported that his heart was set on a move to Liverpool.
However, Liverpool’s failure to land Guehi opens the door to a move abroad, as teams outside of the Premier League can reach a pre-contract agreement from January onwards.
Several European giants are linked with Guehi, with a new report from Spanish outlet Fichajes claiming that Guehi is ‘clear’ that he ‘prefers Real Madrid as his next destination’.
The report claims:
‘Although there are rumours circulating in England linking him with both Barcelona and Real Madrid, the truth is that the footballer has already told those around him what his priority is: if Liverpool cannot fit him into their project as Konate’s replacement, his preference would be to wear white and land at the Santiago Bernabeu.’
