Report: Liverpool eyeing £20m move to sign Premier League defender | OneFootball

Liverpool weigh January move for Marc Guehi as Madrid model emerges

Liverpool’s transfer strategy has long been shaped by patience, leverage and timing. According to reporting by the Mirror, the club are now being urged to lean into those principles once again, this time by borrowing a page from Real Madrid to land Marc Guehi for a cut price fee.

Photo IMAGO

The Liverpool hierarchy remain admirers of the Crystal Palace centre back after a proposed move collapsed late in the summer window. With Guehi’s contract entering its final months, January represents Palace’s last realistic chance to extract a fee before he becomes available for free in the summer.

January window offers leverage

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire believes Liverpool could strike a deal around £20m by acting decisively. He drew a clear comparison with Madrid’s opportunistic approach, saying:

“Everybody’s looking at centre-half, given that they thought that they’d signed Guehi in the summer and then that deal collapsed at the last minute.

“So could they sign him now in a bid not dissimilar to the situation that we saw with Trent Alexander-Arnold? He went to Real Madrid with four weeks of the transfer window before his contract ran out, but that qualified him for the Club World Cup.

Photo IMAGO

“So they got £10m there. Could Palace get £20m for Guehi in January? Certainly they could. Liverpool are in a prime position to sign him because they’re an attractive proposition.”

It is a reminder that leverage shifts quickly once contracts run down. Liverpool know that better than most.

Financial headroom reassures Anfield

Maguire also dismissed any concerns about Liverpool’s compliance with profit and sustainability rules, describing the club as “spectacularly well-run”. He added:

“That gives them the benefit. They’ve never been in danger [of breaching spending rules].

“They’re only paying £63 in wages for every £100 that comes through the door. So again, that gives them plenty of headroom.”

He continued with a broader explanation of amortisation and league prize money, noting:

“So if you sign a £50m player in January, six months of that will go into your account. So it’s going to cost you £5m. Now £5m, you get £3.5m per place in the Premier League.”

For Liverpool, football logic and financial logic increasingly point in the same direction.

Top five priority sharpens focus

“The important thing, again from Liverpool’s point of view, and they seem to have turned the corner in terms of what’s happening on the pitch, is to finish in the top five positions and get that participation,” Maguire said.

“So yes, they have spent money by their standards significantly in the summer of 2025. But they can still spend in January, should there be particular positions that they need.”

Centre back depth may yet define whether January becomes action rather than contemplation.

Our View – EPL Index Analysis

The idea of using Real Madrid’s own tactics against the market carries a certain irony that fans would quietly enjoy.

Guehi fits the profile supporters have come to trust. Premier League proven, England international, entering his peak years, and available at a moment when leverage favours the buyer. £20m in January would feel like smart business rather than opportunism.

There is also a sense among fans that Liverpool have learned from recent seasons. Depth at centre back has repeatedly shaped campaigns, sometimes cruelly. Acting early, even at a modest cost, could prevent larger problems later. Supporters would see this as forward planning rather than short term patchwork.

Crucially, the financial context matters. Hearing Liverpool described as “spectacularly well-run” reinforces belief that ambition and sustainability can coexist. If the club do move in January, fans will trust it is because the numbers and the football align. That confidence has been earned.