Slot’s Reds in ‘five-way battle’ for Guehi January transfer

Liverpool’s plans to sign Marc Guehi in January could be hindered by the interest in the defender’s signature displayed by Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich, the newest report has claimed.

The Reds were the biggest spenders in the summer transfer window, with the addition of striker Alexander Isak from Newcastle United enough to see the club’s expenditure exceed £400m.

Manager Arne Slot has strengthened in a number of areas, including in central defence following the signing of centre-back Giovanni Leoni.

Despite their significant outlay on incomings, Liverpool had planned to spend further given a £35m deal was agreed with Crystal Palace for defender Guehi, but a switch to Anfield ultimately failed to materialise.

The Daily Star now report that while the Reds have ambitions of signing the Englishman in January – he will have six months left on his contract – it remains to be seen if they can fend of interest from Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

Should Liverpool be worried about Real Madrid interest in Marc Guehi?

Though Liverpool cannot take Guehi’s signature for granted, they should be confident of beating the likes of Bayern to the 25-year-old, especially as the club won the race against the Bavarian’s for Florian Wirtz earlier in the summer.

Manchester City could be a challenging competitor, but Pep Guardiola’s side have looked far from their best for some time, and there is also the cloud of the impending verdict in the Premier League’s legal case against the side for alleged rule breaches.

The lure of Barcelona may be a worry for Slot, though whether they will be able to offer the same type of financial package to Guehi remains to be seen.

Real Madrid signed Kylian Mbappe for free in the summer of 2024, while Liverpool were forced to sell Trent Alexander-Arnold to the Spanish giants due to the fact the right-back had just a month left on his contract.

Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate is also thought to be a target for Los Blancos as he has a year left on his deal, so perhaps the Reds should be most worried about the threat of Real.

Can Liverpool win the Premier League title without Marc Guehi?

Liverpool are currently first in the Premier League with nine points from nine, but their squad depth is yet to be tested this campaign.

Nine players left the club permanently, and after the exit of Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen, the Merseysiders are arguably short in central defence.

Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Konate are the only established centre-backs at Anfield, but the latter two have often been beset by injuries.

Leoni will almost certainly have to be used in the first team this campaign, though the 18-year-old could struggle with the demands of the Premier League because of his inexperience.

Konate did manage to stay fit for most of the 2024-25 season – he played 31 league games – and Slot will have to hope that he stays free of problems if Liverpool do not move for Guehi in the January transfer window.

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