According to The Telegraph, Liverpool are frontrunners to sign Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi with Chelsea and Newcastle United out of contention for his services.
The Merseyside heavyweights have had a fabulous transfer window and they have already made four marquee signings in the form of Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Milos Kerkez.
The Reds are actively in the pursuit of Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, but the Magpies are likely to pursue a replacement first before contemplating a club-record sale of the Sweden international.
A new centre-back is another big priority for the Premier League champions, and The Telegraph report that the Reds are favourites to land the signature of Guehi, with Chelsea and Newcastle no longer in the running.
The Blues recently suffered a huge setback with Levi Colwill’s serious knee injury, but a reunion with Guehi is not on the agenda. The west London giants are looking at alternative options to bolster their central defence.
Newcastle valued Guehi at £65 million last summer, but it was not sufficient to prise him away. His valuation will have gone down with a year left on his deal, but the Magpies have turned their attention elsewhere.
Eddie Howe’s side are on the cusp of signing AC Milan centre-back Malick Thiaw. Arne Slot’s side have a free run at signing Guehi.
Top-class
Guehi has evolved into one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League. He has gained valuable experience with the Eagles over the years, and has emerged as their captain due to his consistent displays in the heart of the defence.
It is unsurprising that the Reds are weighing up a late approach for him. They presently have Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate as the first-choice centre-backs. There is just one senior backup in Joe Gomez in the first-team squad.
Gomez has had a long list of injuries during his long Liverpool career and he is on the sidelines with another minor concern. Hence, Liverpool can’t go into their title defence with just two fit centre-backs. One of them is considering his future.
Konate has entered the last year of his deal and has refused to extend terms as things stand. If Guehi were to join the Reds, he could push for a starting role ahead of the Frenchman, who also has the tendency to pick up injuries.
The Telegraph don’t mention Palace’s price tag for Guehi but The Sun recently claimed that he is valued at £50 million. Liverpool rate him at around £40 million, but a middle ground could be reached for his summer transfer.
