Liverpool’s new January plans for Marc Guehi revealed after deadline day transfer collapse
Liverpool have no plans to bid for Marc Guehi in January, talkSPORT understands.
A £35million offer for Guehi was almost agreed on deadline day, with the Crystal Palace captain even given permission to undergo a medical.
However, Igor’s decision to join West Ham instead of Palace on loan from Brighton resulted in Guehi’s own move to Anfield being called off.
The England international was left frustrated having told Liverpool he wanted to join, but centre-back Jaydee Canvot’s arrival from Toulouse was not enough for Palace to sanction an exit.
Head coach Oliver Glasner made it clear to chairman Steve Parish he wanted two new defenders, and in the end the Palace chairman decided it was better for the season ahead to keep hold of Guehi, even knowing he can leave for nothing next summer.
talkSPORT understands Guehi has no plans to sign a new Palace contract and will thus leave Selhurst Park after the World Cup.
As it stands, he is also not inclined to move in January either given a mid-season transfer could disrupt his own World Cup preparations.
The 25-year-old will be able to pick from a series of clubs next summer with not just Liverpool still keen on adding him on a free transfer, but potential renewed interest from Tottenham Hotspur.
Spurs saw a £70m bid in January rejected, which was made by the now-departed Daniel Levy and rejected almost immediately by Parish.
However, Newcastle sources insist Guehi is no longer a priority following the arrival of Malick Thiaw, while former club Chelsea never made a formal approach this summer, even after Levi Colwill’s ACL injury.
Why Liverpool are happy without Guehi
Liverpool would have loved to round off an outstanding window with Guehi making the move to Merseyside, but their top defensive priority was actually to add a young centre-back in the 18-22 age bracket.
Giovanni Leoni, who signed from Parma for £26m, is viewed as having elite potential and being Premier League ready.
As a result, and along with Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez, Liverpool believe they are well covered with centre-back options for the 2025/26 season.
Gomez was of interest to both Palace and Milan, but Liverpool were reluctant to let him depart.
Milan came closest to signing the 28-year-old in the week leading up to deadline day, but a transfer was never going to be sanctioned unless Guehi first joined.
Liverpool will feel well-placed to return for Guehi in a year, and can pre-agree a contract from January, but as it stands there are no plans to pay a fee in order to get him early. Only an unexpected injury might change that.
Konate is Liverpool’s priority
Instead of making efforts to sign Guehi for the turn of the year, Liverpool are instead putting much of their short-term efforts into trying to get Konate to extend his contract.
The 26-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Madrid next summer on a free transfer, but Liverpool haven’t yet given up on an extension.
They are in active talks with the France international in the hope of persuading him to sign a new long-term deal.
There has been no progress to date, but as Liverpool proved with Mohammed Salah, Van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold last season, they are fully prepared to let contracts run down as they seek a resolution.
In the end, Salah and Van Dijk both signed new two-year contracts in April, but Alexander-Arnold ended up leaving for Real Madrid.
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