Guehi teammate admits he’s ‘basically there’ as Liverpool truth bomb blows everything open | OneFootball

Claims that Marc Guehi is on his way to Liverpool in 2026 have grown more legs off the back of strong reports in the Spanish media and amid a significant admission from his Crystal Palace and England teammate, Adam Wharton.

The Premier League champions were on the brink of adding Guehi to their squad on transfer deadline day after agreeing a £35m package with Crystal Palace that would also have guaranteed the Eagles a 10% cut of any future deal. However, despite a medical with Liverpool being passed and personal terms having been agreed, Palace pulled the plug on the prospective transfer with just hours remaining in the window.

That left Guehi having to return to Selhurst Park and completing at least the first half of the season with Oliver Glasner’s side; not that you would sense any disappointment from the player, who has continued to put up strong and consistent displays for the Eagles.

Nonetheless, with the player making it clear he will not sign a new deal, a free transfer exit looks increasingly likely to be on the cards next year, with the 25-times capped England star eligible to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with overseas sides from January 1.

That has led to speculation that a move to either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich could be on the cards, with the former becoming specialists in recruiting the game’s best talents on free transfers and with the latter already having held concrete talks.

However, Guehi’s heart appears to remain set on Anfield, and now his teammate Wharton has admitted it is “pretty obvious” that the player will be on the move in 2026.

“There’s obviously so much speculation,” he said on The Athletic FC Podcast. “I think it’s pretty obvious. I think it came out that he wasn’t going to sign a new deal. So yeah…

“I think, obviously, he’s a top defender. You’ve seen it week in, week out in the Premier League. You’ve seen it at the Euros and after that for England.

“So I mean, he’s so consistent. You see it in training. Well, I see it in training every day as well. So down to earth as well. He never gets carried away. And yeah, he could literally go to any club in the world, for me, and be starting comfortably.

“It’s probably just where he goes. And when. If he goes in January or in the summer, who knows? I hope he stays until summer so we can have him for a bit longer. We’ll have to see.”

Spanish media believe Guehi is Liverpool-bound

On what went down during that deadline day transfer miss to Liverpool, and what happened since, Wharton added: “People were probably shocked that he didn’t go.

“Because it was all over, he was going, he was basically there. We expected him… I think it was after Villa. We pretty much thought he was gone after that, or I did at least.

“And then yeah, it ended up collapsing, and then it was just back to normal. But that’s just the type of guy Marc is. He’s not going to complain, and he won’t show his frustrations. He just gets on with it and just shows the type of professional he is.

“If you looked at his performances, you couldn’t tell that he’d just had a move taken away from him at the last second. That’s just credit to him.”

He continued: “No, I don’t think he did (say his goodbyes). Well, he didn’t say it to me! Maybe he knew he wasn’t going! I hope so.

“No, he didn’t say anything like that. Obviously, nothing was confirmed. It was kind of in the air. People were maybe talking about it, but not talking about it.”

Amid all that, the Spanish press have strongly pushed claims this week that Guehi’s next destination will be Anfield after a reputable Spanish source revealed the 25-year-old has now decided to sign for the reigning Premier League champions and has dismissed Real Madrid’s chances of signing him.

Meanwhile, sources can reveal that Antoine Semenyo remains “very keen” on a move to Anfield, though a respected journalist has become the latest to explain why a move to Anfield in January looks unlikely, while the name of the Premier League side ready to strongly compete for his signature has also emerged.

Elsewhere on the incoming front, fresh reports strongly suggest that the Reds are also considering a move for an electric RB Leipzig winger amid details of a significant release clause in his deal at the Red Bull Arena.

Finally, Arne Slot has been urged to DROP Salah from his starting XI and why the upcoming AFCON is a perfect chance for the Reds to move away from their Egyptian talisman in the long term and with a daring new line-up suggested.