Journalist outlines how Marc Guehi might react if Liverpool go back in with an offer in January | OneFootball

Marc Guehi could very easily have been proceeding towards the away dressing room at Selhurst Park this coming Saturday rather than the home one.

Liverpool had agreed a deal to sign the defender from Crystal Palace for £35m on transfer deadline day, only for the Eagles to later veto the move as they didn’t have time to bring in a replacement.

That near-miss for the Reds feels all the more galling after the sickening news of Giovanni Leoni’s ACL injury, which has once again left Arne Slot with only three senior centre-backs at Anfield.

Guehi’s future was discussed on the latest Market Madness podcast for GIVEMESPORT, and Ben Jacobs believes that despite being on the verge of signing the 25-year-old earlier this month, it could be rather more difficult for the Premier League champions to get him in January.

(Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Liverpool could find it ‘difficult’ to sign Guehi mid-season

The journalist outlined: “I know that Liverpool want four elite centre-backs at the club. They believe in Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Giovanni Leoni.

“If Leoni’s injury is significant and severe, they’re only left with three options. Then we have to understand whether Liverpool would change their January approach. It’s unclear at this stage.

“First of all, we need to be patient. Hopefully Leoni is back sooner rather than later. If that’s the case, there will be no move for Guehi in January. If it’s a more severe injury, I think Liverpool would have to discuss it.

“What makes the Guehi situation harder is, even if Liverpool or another club want him in January and Crystal Palace are prepared to sell him, he is not necessarily wanting to move mid-season.

“It’s a World Cup year, so he’ll want stability and also knows he will become a free agent, so he can take his pick of clubs and probably get a higher wage. I think it’s going to be difficult for Guehi to move in January.”

(Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images)

Liverpool could be crying out for Guehi by January

In all likelihood, Leoni isn’t likely to play again until the tail end of this season at the earliest, so Slot will be operating with three senior centre-backs unless he includes Rhys Williams (an unused substitute against Southampton in midweek) as a fixed first-team squad member.

That number could diminish further if Van Dijk, Konate or Gomez were to succumb to injury, and it’s plausible that Liverpool could be desperate for a defensive addition in the January transfer window.

That won’t be lost on Palace, who may feel justified in demanding a colossal fee to sell Guehi mid-season even if they haven’t agreed a new deal with him by then and he enters the final six months of his contract at Selhurst Park.

It also seemed telling that, despite seemingly being keen on joining the Reds before his deadline day transfer collapsed (BBC Sport), he never agitated for a move in the way that Alexander Isak and Yoane Wissa had done over the summer.

As Jacobs pointed out, the 25-year-old knows that he’s the main man in south London as the Eagles’ captain, whereas he might have to battle for a place in Slot’s line-up unless either Van Dijk or Konate were to be laid low.

Depending on Liverpool’s centre-back situation by the time 2026 rolls around, they might have another go at trying to sign Guehi, but it could take something massively persuasive to entice him to Merseyside.