Liverpool face fresh Marc Guehi obstacle as Arne Slot eyes huge January transfer

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Liverpool will have to break the bank to sign Marc Guehi in January. And they will face a huge battle to sign him with Real Madrid and Barcelona among the European giants wanting to sign him as a free agent in the summer.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot is crying out for defensive reinforcements in the next transfer window to stabilise their season after a disastrous start to the Premier League campaign. They could go back in for the Crystal Palace captain but it would take a huge fee to land a player who will have just six months left on his current deal.

Guehi, 25, has already told Palace that he will not sign a new deal but has earned huge respect from the club’s fanbase for the way he has conducted himself throughout.

Liverpool failed with a deadline day move to sign him for £35m in the summer and he is clearly on their radar as they look to plug the defensive gaps. Incredibly, they have conceded 20 goals in 12 games and have a minus two goal difference.

But while they were a whisker away from getting a deal done less than three months ago, they now face the added competition from foreign clubs. Guehi's overseas suitors - including Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan - are able to speak to him from January 1 and he can sign a pre-contract before the end of the campaign.

Free agents can often earn more and Real Madrid and Barcelona also know that Guehi has an Ivorian passport which means he also counts as an EU player in Spain.

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Palace will have to balance losing Guehi for free in the summer against the cut-price fee they would get in January and also his value to the squad because his quality means they have a better chance of success.

Liverpool could have to get close to what they offered in the summer to tempt Guehi and Palace even though his deal is running down.

But ex-Anfield hero Jamie Carragher last week said Liverpool should go all out to sign him in January.

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Carragher said on the Overlap: “Liverpool need to spend in January, they need to buy a centre-back, they should have bought a centre-back in the summer.

“Liverpool are probably one injury away at centre-back from really derailing the season, so they have to go to the market in January. I do feel that they did need to bring that number of players in during the summer.”

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