How likely are Liverpool to sign Marc Guehi in January as reliable reporter drops fresh update | OneFootball

Having had the signing of Marc Guehi prised from their grasp three months ago, could Liverpool go back in for the defender in January?

The 25-year-old was on the cusp of joining the Reds at the end of the summer transfer window, only for Crystal Palace to pull the plug on the deal late on deadline day, and speculation has continued ever since as to whether Anfield chiefs will try to resurrect the move in 2026.

Spanish journalist Bruno Alemany claimed last month that a switch to Merseyside for the Eagles captain is ‘pretty much wrapped up‘, although The Athletic recently reported that it’s ‘by no means guaranteed’ that the south London club would be willing to do business in the winter.

Liverpool unlikely to sign Guehi in January

In a report for The Athletic on Tuesday morning, Gregg Evans indicated that a January move to Liverpool for Guehi is unlikely and that the defender may be best served by seeing out the final seven months of his contract at Selhurst Park.

The reporter outlined: ‘Liverpool would still like to sign Guehi, but the chance of that happening in January is slim. The England defender’s contract expires in the summer, so negotiating a move next month will be complex and difficult for a number of reasons.

‘How much is he valued at now, for example, or more importantly, how much would Liverpool be prepared to pay to convince Crystal Palace to sell? And what benefit would it be for Guehi to leave early?

‘As a free agent in the summer, he would be in a much stronger position to negotiate a more lucrative contract, and by staying at Crystal Palace and playing regularly, that may also set him up better for the World Cup this summer.’

(Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

Can Liverpool afford not to sign Guehi in January?

The Liverpool hiearchy may try to hold their nerve and wait until next summer to try and snap up Guehi on a free transfer, rather than paying to sign him mid-season when Palace mightn’t be willing to sell, but can they afford to play the waiting game?

Arne Slot is having to manage with just three senior centre-backs available to him since the season-ending injury to Giovanni Leoni, and the Reds have already conceded 20 goals in the Premier League this term, a frightening amount so early in the campaign.

If FSG take the chance on holding off until the summer, that could leave the door open for a more proactive suitor to swoop in next month and make the Eagles an offer they might just accept if they feel they’d be unable to convince him to sign a new contract at Selhurst Park.

Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate have both shipped plenty of criticism over their performances in recent weeks, but how do the Liverpool duo compare to Guehi across the season as a whole so far?

The figures from FBref would suggest that, while the Palace captain lags behind the Reds pair in some aspects, defensively he’s been the most reliable of the three in terms of tackles, interceptions and ball recoveries, while errors have been infrequent.

It certainly won’t be easy to persuade the Eagles to sell Guehi next month, but that doesn’t meant Liverpool shouldn’t try, especially if our defensive issues persist or if any of our centre-backs were to get injured in the meantime.

You can watch Slot’s full pre-Sunderland press conference below, via Empire of the Kop on YouTube: