Why Premier League club may be disappointed with Liverpool stance on £70m England tank – report | OneFootball

Liverpool aren’t expected to go back in for one player with whom they were continually linked throughout 2024 – and it seems that his current club might be disappointed with that stance.

The Reds had been scouting Marc Guehi for several months last year (Fabrizio Romano), and it was even reported that the Crystal Palace defender had told friends privately that he’d be interested in a move to Anfield (Football Insider).

The England international’s name has unsurprisingly cropped up again during the January transfer window, although it now seems that he won’t be joining Arne Slot’s squad any time soon.

Liverpool not currently targeting Guehi

As reported by CaughtOffside, Chelsea are pushing to bring the 24-year-old back to Stamford Bridge but have baulked at his asking price. The report doesn’t specify exactly how much the Eagles now want for him, but it’s mentioned that they rejected a bid as high as £70m from Newcastle last summer.

With Guehi’s contract now into its final 18 months, the Selhurst Park outfit are ‘still seeking maximum value’ for the centre-back, for whom Enzo Maresca’s side ‘appear to be the only serious contenders’ at the moment.

Palace had hoped and expected that Liverpool could come in for the defender in order to spark a bidding war, but it’s understood that the Reds aren’t currently targeting him.

(Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Liverpool might yet need to bolster their centre-back ranks

The Anfield giants could probably do with bolstering their centre-back options this month if the ideal opportunity arises, given the injury problems that we’ve had in that position during the season so far.

Joe Gomez is currently sidelined and is unlikely to return for another few weeks, while Ibrahima Konate isn’t long back from a five-week absence. That’s left Slot recalling the rarely-seen Jarell Quansah to partner Virgil van Dijk, whose own future remains uncertain now that his contract has just six months remaining.

Guehi is a well-rounded defender who’s comfortable on the ball and dedicated to his core duties. As per FBref, he ranks among the top 10% of positional peers in Europe’s five main leagues over the past year for successful take-ons per game (0.45), along with the top 12% for blocks per match (1.74) and the top 22% for progressive passes per 90 minutes (4.32).

Perhaps Liverpool are in a similar boat to Chelsea in terms of shying away from whatever Palace’s asking price for the 24-year-old might be, although the Eagles are always going to charge a premium for an England international who’s proven at Premier League level and would help towards fulfilling homegrown quota requirements.

For now it seems as though the Reds won’t be testing the south Londoners’ resolve for their number 6, but there’s always a chance that the stance from Anfield could alter if circumstances were to change over the next few months.