Liverpool plan to accelerate move to sign available ‘world-class’ player in January
Liverpool are seeking to turn around their dismal recent form after picking up another three points from their latest Champions League clash.
Arne Slot’s side beat Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 on 22 October, but concerns about their recent form have lingered, with four straight defeats prior to their big win.
Crystal Palace, Galatasaray, Chelsea and Man United all took victories against the Reds, and questions have been asked of their key players as a result.
Slot’s defensive unit has come in for particular scrutiny, with questioned asked about Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate‘s performances during their poor run.
Liverpool have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last eight games, and have kept just two across their 13 fixtures in all competitions, forcing them to search for reinforcements.
Liverpool set sights on renewing Marc Guehi deal
Football Insider revealed on 10 October that Liverpool are confident of signing Marc Guehi despite rival interest from the likes of Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
The Reds have now been backed to make a fresh move for the centre-back in January, having missed out despite reaching an agreement with Palace on deadline day.
That is according to former Man United and Blackburn chief scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that Guehi remains the outstanding candidate to strengthen at the back.
“Liverpool don’t look as defensively stable as they were last year,” he told Football Insider.
“Van Dijk has been out of form, and they’re still not completely sure about Konate’s future.
“There’s obviously been a hell of a lot of talk about Marc Guehi, they missed out in the summer and now there’s all sorts of clubs having a look at him.
“At first, it seemed like a certainty that he would go to Liverpool in January, but that doesn’t seem to be the case at the moment because he’s got these other options.
“It’s no surprise that the likes of Real Madrid are in for him now, he’s England’s starting centre-back and he’s going to be available for free.
“But I’ve always felt Liverpool could try to get it done in January even if it isn’t a certainty any more.
“He is by far the best option out there at the moment, and he’ll be available for £35million or less, which is a bargain fee for a defender of that quality.
“When you consider the difficulties they’ve had in defense lately, I expect they’ll be even more determined to get that deal done as soon as possible.”
Guehi remains one of the most highly-rated defenders in the Premier League, with his England teammate Ezri Konsa labelling him “world-class” a year ago. [BBC]
Guehi’s Crystal Palace exit plan revealed
Football Insider revealed on 12 October that Guehi is content to end the season at Crystal Palace, where he will see out his contract after refusing a new deal.
The Palace captain is currently focused on performing for the Eagles in the Premier League and in Europe ahead of next summer’s World Cup with England.
Guehi is not allowing himself to be distracted by talk about his future and instead has his sights set on making Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad and impressing for Palace.
This comes after Football Insider revealed on 9 October that Guehi could leave Crystal Palace in January which would allow the Eagles to raise last-ditch funds from his sale.
While there remains a possibility he could leave in the mid-season window, a free transfer upon the expiry of his deal is currently considered most likely.
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