Marc Guehi transfer news: Liverpool still keen on Crystal Palace defender but will not overpay due to expiring contract
Liverpool are keen on signing Crystal Palace and England defender Marc Guehi; the Reds will not overpay for the player, who is in the final year of his contract at Selhurst Park; Guehi is unlikely to sign a new deal at Palace and chairman Steve Parish has admitted he may be sold
Wednesday 13 August 2025 23:26, UK
Liverpool remain in talks for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi and are favourites to sign the England international.
The question is whether they can negotiate a fee now or wait to sign him as a free agent next summer.
Sky Sports News previously reported there was a gap in valuation between the two Premier League sides.
Palace will not let their captain go on the cheap and Liverpool know they can wait until next summer to sign him on a free transfer.
If the situation does not change, it looks likely as things stand that Guehi will stay at Crystal Palace and leave on a free transfer next summer.
- Transfer Centre LIVE! | Liverpool news & transfers🔴
- Sky Sports to show 215 live PL games from this season
- Got Sky? Watch Premier League games LIVE on your phone📱
- Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW 📺
The player is happy to stay at Palace and play in Europe. If Palace were to agree a fee with Liverpool then he would be happy to talk to them but that has not happened.
Multiple big clubs in the Premier League and across Europe are aware that Guehi may be available as a free agent next summer.
Newcastle are not expected to be in the race for Guehi after signing centre-back Malick Thiaw with AC Milan.
Tottenham, who had a bid for Guehi rejected in the winter window, are in the market for a defender this summer, but their priority at this stage is bringing in a winger and a No 10.
Liverpool are also closing in on the signing of teenage centre-back Giovanni Leoni from Parma.
The Premier League champions are expected to pay an initial £26m for the 18-year-old.
Liverpool need more experience at centre-back and Ibrahima Konate is entering the final year of his deal.
Merse: Liverpool need a centre-back
Sky Sports' Paul Merson on further transfer business for Liverpool:
"If I were Liverpool, I'd be looking more for a centre-back than signing Alexander Isak. Arne Slot has enough options going forward without needing Isak.
"Hugo Ekitike looked very good against Crystal Palace. They desperately need another defender.
"I hear a lot of people saying that if Liverpool get Isak, it's game over in the Premier League. It's finished. I don't see that at all.
"It causes more problems, if anything. Where does Cody Gakpo play? There's Florian Wirtz, Mo Salah and then Ekitike.
"If Isak arrives, they can't all play. Slot will have to mix things up and change things constantly to keep everyone happy and that causes problems."
Analysis: Guehi quality clear - but where he fits for Liverpool not so straightforward
Sky Sports' Peter Smith:
Marc Guehi has established himself as one of the Premier League's elite centre-backs. The 25-year-old is first-choice for England and, after leading Crystal Palace to back-to-back trophy successes at Wembley, looks like an absolute bargain signing at around £40m.
Liverpool have opened talks with Palace, whose chairman Steve Parish admitted it makes sense to cash in if the one year left on Guehi's contract can't be extended. Guehi is also believed to be open to an Anfield switch and Reds boss Arne Slot is in need of defensive reinforcements.
But while that all adds up, where Guehi would actually fit into Liverpool's team is not quite so straightforward.
Guehi plays on the left of a back three at Crystal Palace. He has shown with England he can play on the left side of a back four - the preferred set-up at Liverpool and of Slot - but that is where captain Virgil van Dijk plays. The Dutchman started 37 of 38 Premier League games last season.
The assumption seems to be that Guehi would play alongside Van Dijk, in place of Ibrahima Konate, who only has a year to run on his own Liverpool deal. Being a right-footer, it's not a huge leap for Guehi but does require some adaptation - and breaks up a championship-winning partnership.
With Van Dijk aged 34 and Konate's contract situation uncertain, Guehi would future-proof the Liverpool defence. But does he want to risk being a back-up or rotation option at Liverpool in a World Cup year?
A creative alternative could be for Slot to turn to an unfamiliar back three, with Guehi remaining in his favoured left-side role, Van Dijk orchestrating affairs from the centre, and Konate protecting the right channel, as he is skilled to do.
That could also help rebalance a Liverpool defence which Slot admitted needed "adjustment" after they were opened up through pre-season, with the adventurous new signings Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong leaving the centre-backs vulnerable.
Any which way, it requires a shift from Guehi or Liverpool - but it could be a conundrum both the player and Premier League champions believe is worth taking on.
Sky Sports to show 215 live Premier League games this season
From this season, Sky Sports' Premier League coverage will increase from 128 matches to at least 215 games exclusively live.
And 80 per cent of all televised Premier League games this season will be on Sky Sports.
