‘It looks like…’ – Insider drops Guehi transfer claim as Liverpool told to expect ‘ultimatum’ | OneFootball

Liverpool have been warned to brace themselves for disappointment regarding their hopes of signing Marc Guehi before the end of the summer transfer window.

On Sunday, Fabrizio Romano claimed that talks are continuing regarding a potential Reds move for the Crystal Palace captain, one of two players in the Eagles’ squad who’s currently at the epicentre of intense speculation.

As per Sky Sports, Tottenham Hotspur are in discussions with Selhurst Park chiefs over a possible raid for Eberechi Eze, whose release clause has now expired. The north London club have yet to table a bid for the 27-year-old.

(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Liverpool warned that Palace won’t sell both Guehi and Eze

Ex-Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown expects Oliver Glasner’s side to sell one of those players in the next fortnight but not both, and he warned that it could be Liverpool who end up missing out on Guehi rather than Spurs on his Palace and England teammate.

He told Football Insider: “Crystal Palace don’t want to lose both Eze and Guehi, especially after the season has already started. Losing two of their best and most important players would be a significant blow to the manager’s plans.

“If they lose players, of course they can replace them, but replacing both Eze and Guehi with such little time left in the window would be very difficult. I understand he’s in the last year of his contract, but Palace are very reluctant to lose him.

“From the outside looking in, I’d expect it would always have been either him or Eze to leave. Now that it looks like Eze could be joining Tottenham, I expect Palace will tell Liverpool that there’s no chance of Guehi going anywhere.

“Either that, or they’ll stick with this £40m+ price tag they’ve put on him and give Liverpool the ultimatum of ‘pay up or shut up’.

“If it’s going to happen, they need it to happen quickly so they can go and find replacements. It won’t be something they let go through on deadline day, that is for certain.”

(Photo by Harry Murphy/Getty Images)

Liverpool will need to move quickly if they’re to sign Guehi

The signing of Giovanni Leoni has at least restored Liverpool to their minimum ideal complement of four senior centre-backs, although the Reds’ defensive deficiencies were again laid bare in relinquishing a two-goal lead against Bournemouth on Friday before recovering to win 4-2.

Unlike the currently idle Alexander Isak, Guehi is continuing to play through the speculation, featuring for the entirety of Palace’s goalless draw against his former club Chelsea on Sunday.

The Eagles’ apparent stance regarding their two most sought-after players is most understandable, not least when they’ll also have European commitments this season, starting with the first leg of their Conference League play-off at home to Fredrikstad on Thursday.

It could therefore boil down to a race between Liverpool and Spurs to see which (if either) of them can sign their respective Selhurst Park targets first, and with just two weeks remaining in the transfer window, clubs will need to move quickly if they’re to complete their desired business.

The Reds wrapped up their move for Leoni with impressive haste, but we suspect that a deal for Guehi could be significantly harder to execute. If Richard Hughes does pull it off, though, it’d be the perfect way to round off what has been a remarkable window for the Premier League champions.