Liverpool: Marc Guehi 'makes transfer decision' as Newcastle revive interest in £40m defender | OneFootball

Arne Slot needs to bolster this defensive options before the transfer window closes

The Crystal Palace captain is now into the final year of his contract at Selhurst Park and has been linked with an exit before the transfer window closes.

That said, the Eagles are yet to receive an offer for the England international having stuck a £40million price-tag on the defender's head.

According to the Mirror, Liverpool were in pole position for Guehi last month but switched their focus to sign Newcastle striker Alexander Isak. As things stand, the Reds are no closer to landing the Sweden international after seeing an opening bid rejected.

However, it has been claimed that Guehi would prefer to join the Premier League champions if he was to leave Palace this summer. This would be another blow for Newcastle as Benjamin Sesko is set to become the latest in a long line of transfer targets to reject a move to St James’ Park.

Marc Guehi lead Crystal Palace to FA Cup success last season

AFP via Getty Images

Liverpool’s need for defensive reinforcements were highlighted earlier in the week as head coach Arne Slot was forced into a major reshuffle for both pre-season friendlies against Athletic Club.

With Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez unavailable due to illness and injury, the first game saw Trey Nyoni partner Andy Robertson in central defence before Wataru Endo filled in alongside Ibrahima Konate for the second game.

It remains to be seen if the Reds are willing to spend £40m on a player with less than a year left on his contract, though they have just received a timely £8.7million windfall as Tyler Morton has completed a permanent transfer to Lyon.

A statement from the Ligue 1 side reads: “Olympique Lyonnais has announced the arrival of midfielder Tyler Morton from Liverpool.

“The England U21 international has signed a five-year contract, ending June 30, 2030, for £8.7million (€10million), with bonuses of up to £4.3million (€5million) and a 20% profit-sharing scheme on any potential capital gains.”

Liverpool are nearing a key sale to bolster their transfer kitty even further as widespread reports claim they have reached an agreement to sell striker Darwin Nunez to Al-Hilal.

The Saudi club are said to have made the Uruguayan striker their ‘priority’ target after missing out on Victor Osimhen, who made his loan move to Galatasaray permanent.