Senior BBC reporter drops bombshell on Liverpool signing Marc Guehi | OneFootball

Senior BBC Sport reporter, Sami Mokbel, has revealed the latest on Marc Guehi and made a series of declarations, some of which favour Liverpool and others which don’t.

Liverpool believed they had a deal for Marc Guehi wrapped up over the summer, only to see Crystal Palace pull the rug in the final hours on deadline day.

Agreements between the clubs and with Guehi had been sealed. A medical was even passed, but Palace – under intense pressure from Oliver Glasner – aborted the move after failing to sign an adequate replacement in time.

Guehi, 25, has since got his head down and as the ultimate professional he is, has been amongst the best centre-backs in the Premier League this season despite a dream move falling through.

Liverpool remain determined to snap Guehi up at the second time of asking, but failure to complete the move over the summer has opened the door for others to strike.

Crucially, overseas sides – of which there are many chasing Guehi – can forge a pre-contract agreement with Guehi come January 1. Liverpool must wait until June to get anything in writing.

It’s a situation that has prompted speculation the Reds could launch a bid in January despite the fact Guehi will be just six months away from leaving on a free.

Now, senior BBC Sport reporter, Sami Mokbel, has revealed what he’s been hearing about Guehi’s future when appearing on Football Focus.

Mokbel insisted that the overwhelming expectation is Guehi will NOT change clubs in January, and instead, will see out the season at Selhurst Park.

Mokbel also named a daunting list of clubs Liverpool are competing with, many of whom are now pursuing Guehi with greater vigour after seeing how well he’s responded to his collapsed move a few months ago.

There was a positive for Liverpool at the end, however, with Mokbel confirming that Guehi very much wanted to join Liverpool last summer. The hope amongst those at Anfield is that feeling within Guehi is still there, and that their struggles this season haven’t put the player off.

“My understanding at the moment is he probably and is expected to stay at Palace until the end of the season when his contract expires,” declared Mokbel.

“Look, he’s got so many options in the summer. You’ve got Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan… all these clubs have registered varying degrees of interest in Guehi in recent weeks.

“When you come to the end of the season you’ll have Liverpool back in the mix, Manchester City back in the mix.

“So he is leaving, he’s going, but I expect that situation to continue until the summer when he’ll have his pick of the clubs.”

Mokbel added: “He’s delivered week in, week out, and the way he’s reacted to that Liverpool move falling through has seen a number of clubs come to the fore.

“That’s the kind of personality and character people want at their club. He’s done himself a brilliant service to himself this season.

“He wanted to join Liverpool, let’s make no bones about it, but he’s put that behind him and had a brilliant season so far.”

Of Guehi’s many suitors, Real Madrid are perhaps the sexiest option. And thankfully for Liverpool, ESPN Deportes claim Los Blancos are NOT expected to follow up on their interest in Guehi.

That would remove one sizeable obstacle from Liverpool’s path, though there are plenty of others that must still be overcome.

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Elsewhere, Liverpool are understood to have reached their final verdict on Antoine Semenyo as he closes on a move to Manchester City, and with the Bournemouth forward now setting a transfer deadline, both Andoni Iraola and Pep Guardiola have spoken out on his situation.

Finally, Turkish giants Fenerbahce were in touch with the camp of Mohamed Salah earlier this week and the Liverpool winger’s agent has revealed the only two outcomes that are possible as the saga nears its conclusion.