£45m deal solves Liverpool's BIGGEST problem | OneFootball

Liverpool have a gigantic problem in their squad. One £45m deal fixes it, however.

Liverpool's summer so far has been all about moving the squad forwards under Arne Slot. They've spent a year seeing how fits in with the ideas and style, now they want to fine-tune things around the head coach.

But they've also moved to solve upcoming problems. Trent Alexander-Arnold left, so a new right-back had to come in. Jeremie Frimpong is exactly that - problem solved.

Andy Robertson is entering the final year of his contract and may move on. Milos Kerkez comes in as his successor and one of the best young players in the Premier League.

Mo Salah is now 33 years old and we're almost certainly in the final two years of his time at Liverpool. The club needs someone new to build their attack around and Florian Wirtz is absolutely perfect for it.

Another problem is brewing, however. Liverpool aren't sure what the future looks like at centre-back, with Jarell Quansah moving on and Ibrahima Konate facing a very uncertain future.

The Frenchman is in the final year of his contract and it appears unlikely he'll sign a new one, given his demands. The Reds are set to lose a key defender and the player they hoped would lead the defence after Virgil van Dijk.

So what should they do?

Marc Guehi is the answer

Liverpool reportedly want to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace. Like Konate, he's in the final year of his contract there and won't be renewing.

It means Palace either sell this summer or lose him for free. That's a complicated one, though, as Chelsea retain a 20 per cent sell-on clause on any sale. Palace, then, won't get the full fee and may see more value in another year of Guehi than any amount they can receive right now.

The BBC reports that £45m is the going price for Guehi. Now, Liverpool may decide to wait a year and sign him for free and no one could begrudge them that.

But simply paying the money to guarantee Guehi would fix their biggest problem right now. They'd get a homegrown talent to replace Quansah - something that's a secondary problem for the squad - and they'd also get that leader to replace Konate.

Guehi is a fantastic and accomplished Premier League defender, one who just helped lead Palace to glory for the first time in their history as they won the FA Cup. He's exactly what the Reds are looking for and £45m is a wonderful price for that.

Unless, of course, Liverpool feel they can wait. If they're certain Guehi will join in 2026 and can't sell Konate this summer, then waiting it out makes the most sense.