BBC reporter outlines Liverpool’s stance on Marc Guehi as Crystal Palace name their price | OneFootball

Crystal Palace have reportedly set their asking price for Marc Guehi amid ‘genuine interest’ from Liverpool in the defender.

The Reds are understood to be considering an approach to the south London club regarding the 25-year-old, with Arne Slot’s squad currently lacking in centre-back depth after the sale of Jarell Quansah and the injury to Joe Gomez.

That has left the Premier League champions with only two senior central defenders, a far from ideal scenario with just over a fortnight to go until the start of their title defence.

How much do Palace want for Marc Guehi?

On Wednesday evening, BBC Sport‘s Sami Mokbel issued a comprehensive update on where things stand with Guehi and a potential transfer to Liverpool.

The England international is into the final year of his contract with Palace and ‘there are no signs’ that he’ll extend his deal, despite the Eagles’ understandable wishes to keep him for the long-term.

The Reds have a ‘genuine interest’ in the 25-year-old this summer but are reluctant to ‘get drawn into a long saga’ over the price to be paid for the defender. The south London club value him at £40m, but the Merseysiders are hoping to pay a lower amount.

Mokbel added that Guehi ‘would likely give serious consideration’ to the opportunity to join the reigning Premier League champions.

(Photo by Alex Broadway/Getty Images)

£40m for Guehi is very reasonable – just get it done, Liverpool

Never mind that the England defender could be available on a free transfer next year – Liverpool need him now, and Palace’s asking price is far from extortionate, even when accounting for his contract situation.

An outlay of £40m seems quite reasonable for a 25-year-old who’s proven in the English top flight and who’d help towards meeting homegrown quota requirements.

The Reds cannot run the risk of beginning the Premier League season with only two senior centre-backs, and the pre-season games against AC Milan and Yokohama F. Marinos highlighted that there are defensive deficiencies in need of swift addressing.

We looked particularly vulnerable on the break in both matches of the Asian tour, and as Stuart Pearce recently pointed out, one of Guehi’s biggest strengths is his ability to defend against a counterattack.

While Liverpool are right not to let themselves be extorted into paying what they deem an excessive amount for a player, that wouldn’t be the case with spending £40m on the Palace powerhouse, especially given our alarming lack of central defensive depth.

For all the excitement over a potential swoop for Alexander Isak, there’s a greater need for the Reds to seriously pursue the Eagles defender. We can only hope that the Anfield hierarchy recognise that now and act upon it, rather than being left with a cause for massive regret in a few months’ time if an injury crisis similar to 2020/21 were to arise.