‘A deal to be done’ – BBC reporter explains how Liverpool could snap up ‘exceptional’ PL colossus | OneFootball

One reliable reporter believes that Liverpool could conceivably sign a current Premier League star this summer, if they go about their business in the right manner.

The Reds have added to their defensive options in this transfer window by signing full-backs Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez, but centre-back depth could be an issue after the sale of Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen.

To that effect, the Merseysiders have taken a ‘concrete’ interest in Marc Guehi, according to journalist David Lynch (Sports Mole); and with the Crystal Palace defender now into the final year of his contract, an exit from Selhurst Park could be viable in the coming weeks.

Liverpool given plausible chance of signing Guehi this summer

BBC Sport’s senior football correspondent Sami Mokbel spoke to The Redmen TV‘s Transfer Insight show on Friday, and he believes that the 25-year-old could be attainable for Liverpool if they negotiate with the Eagles rather than going in blindly with an arbitrary offer.

(Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

He explained: “Centre-back is definitely an area that Liverpool, as I understand, are looking to strengthen and looking to add quality. Marc Guehi is an excellent player…he is a top international European centre-back at that elite level.

“What he also is at the moment is a very intriguing market opportunity for all clubs. It’s that one year left, England international, homegrown player who doesn’t come around that often. From that aspect, let alone how good a player he is, clubs the size of Liverpool who are looking for central defenders, it’d be more of a shock if they weren’t in for him.

“That interest is ongoing. My understanding at the moment is that there isn’t anything club-to-club yet. I expect that to happen in some form or another in the not-too-distant future. It’s down to the clubs reaching an agreement. I don’t know if it’ll be necessarily that easy, knowing how Palace operate.”

Mokbel added: “I don’t think Liverpool can come in with a really low offer and be able to persuade Palace. I think what would be wise from all parties in this situation would be to start the formal part of the deal, go through the front door, speak about a possible fee rather than just slapping a bid on the table, see if they can reach a middle ground.

“I think if Liverpool were to just go in with a low formal bid, what may happen is that you could risk antagonising the selling club. I don’t think you really want that, so if they can, I think all parties probably realise that there is a deal to be done here.”

(Photo by Harry Murphy/Getty Images)

Guehi would tick so many boxes for Liverpool if they sign him

Lynch has cited a reported asking price of £50m from Palace from Guehi, but could the Reds try their luck to get him for slightly less than that?

The 25-year-old’s contract situation presents the Eagles with a considerable dilemma – do they sell him this summer and get a fee for him, even if it’s less than what they believe he’s worth, or do they hold out in the hope of agreeing a new deal and risk losing him for nothing in 2026?

Liverpool currently have just three senior centre-backs, one of whom (Ibrahima Konate) is in a similarly perilous contractual state, so that position ought to be a priority for Richard Hughes over the next six weeks.

Signing Guehi would not only give the Premier League champions an ‘exceptional‘ addition (in the words of Gareth Southgate), it’d also see them secure a proven high-level operator in the prime of his career who’d help greatly with meeting homegrown quota requirements.

That’s become an increasingly pertinent issue for the Reds this summer after the exits of Quansah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Caoimhin Kelleher, and a move for the Palace defender would make perfect sense on so many levels.

As Mokbel says, though, it’s crucial that, if Liverpool are to make a move for the 25-year-old, they go about it respectfully and don’t incur the Eagles’ wrath to the extent that strained relations would make a deal impossible.