Liverpool are known to be a long-term admirer of Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, but there is no guarantee that the England international ends up at Anfield.
In a summer in which Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz arrived at Liverpool, amongst others, Guehi was a rare example of a transfer target that alluded sporting director Richard Hughes.
Guehi, 25, was the subject of a £35million bid from Liverpool over the summer, but the Reds’ approach for the Crystal Palace captain was rejected by the South London outfit.
With Guehi’s contract set to expire next summer, Liverpool could be in line to land the defender on a free transfer; however, they are not the only club pursuing his services.
Real Madrid could deal Liverpool another transfer blow by signing Marc Guehi
Arne Slot is seemingly keen to strengthen his side’s defence, with Sven Botman being another name linked with a move to Anfield.
The Reds are currently on a dismal run of form, having lost eight of their last 11 games in all competitions, shipping 20 goals in the process.
Whilst a player of Guehi’s quality would be a welcome addition to attempt to remedy this issue, reports from the Mirror on November 24 suggest Real Madrid, along with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan are queueing up to sign Guehi, who is eligible to sign a pre-contract agreement in January.
The report also states that due to Guehi having an Ivorian passport, he counts as an EU player in Spain, making the proposition of signing the towering defender an even more exciting prospect for the Spanish giants.
With Trent Alexander-Arnold already swapping Merseyside for Madrid a few months ago, Ibrahima Konate has also been frequently linked with making the move to the Spanish capital to reunite with his former teammate.
Naturally, Liverpool supporters are not best pleased with Real Madrid’s actions as of late, and if they were able to poach Guehi right from under the Reds’ noses, Liverpool would be left further embarrassed by the Spanish outfit.
Marc Guehi has outperformed Virgil van Dijk this season in three key areas
With Virgil van Dijk being 34, Liverpool will inevitably have to prepare for life without the Dutchman sooner rather than later.
This makes it all the more essential that they land the signature of Guehi, whether it’s for a fee in January or on a free transfer next summer.
In fact, the England international has outperformed Van Dijk in three key areas in the Premier League so far this season, averaging more tackles, interceptions and successful ground duels than the Liverpool legend.
- Guehi averages 1.2 interceptions per 90 so far this season in the Premier League, compared to Van Dijk’s 1
- The Palace captain’s 2.1 tackles per 90 dwarves the 0.7 that Van Dijk averages during a game
- Guehi also wins 3.4 ground duels per game compared to 1.4 for Van Dijk (Sofascore)
If Hughes and Co. were unable to land their long-term target in Guehi, and he did sign a pre-contract with Real Madrid, then that would reflect poorly on Liverpool and leave supporters wondering why they wouldn’t just meet Palace’s demands back in August.
