Newcastle, Nottingham Forest stars wanted as Liverpool draw up SEVEN man target list to revolutionise key position

Liverpool’s recruitment team are casting their net far and wide to land upon at least one new defensive signing in 2026, with a seven-man shortlist drawn up and with sources rating the chances of a January raid for the name at the top of his wishlist, Marc Guehi.

The Reds came within a whisker of adding Guehi to their ranks on transfer deadline day last month, only for Crystal Palace to change their mind on the planned £35m sale. That left the England man frustrated and disappointed to miss out on the move, and with sources revealing from as far back as last March that the switch to Liverpool was his preference.

However, with Guehi returning to Palace and since making it clear he won’t be signing a new deal at Selhurst Park, a free transfer switch is now very much on the cards for the 26-times capped England defender.

Slot, understandably, remains very much keen on a deal, but what once looked a certainty now looks anything but.

And with a host of big-name European clubs, including Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, throwing their hat into the ring for his signature, Liverpool now face the very real prospect of missing out on the player for a second time.

Off the back of that, it has now emerged that Slot, alongside sporting director Richard Hughes, has now drawn up a list of seven centre-half targets ahead of the 2026 windows, with at least one man wanted next year and the club open to the possibility of signing two, especially in light of the uncertainty surrounding Ibrahima Konate.

Per two journalists, Liverpool have now added some new names to their wanted list in recent weeks.

Indeed, Ben Jacobs reported earlier this month that Newcastle’s Sven Botman had been added to their wishlist, which also now contains Willian Pacho (PSG) and the Sporting CP pair of Zeno Debast and Ousmane Diomande.

And while strong interest in Bayern’s Dayot Upamecano has been reported far and wide, Caught Offside’s Mark Brus has added the name of Nottingham Forest’s Murillo to their wishlist.

That means Liverpool’s seven-strong defensive wishlist now reads:

• Marc Guehi
• Dayot Upamecano
• Sven Botman
• Willian Pacho
• Ousmane Diomande
• Zeno Denblast
• Murillo

But there are others mentioned too, with this list here aggregating every centre-half linked with the Reds ahead of the 2026 transfer windows.

Sources rate Liverpool chances of January defender deal

Having spent around £440m on new players this summer, there is an argument to suggest Liverpool may well wait until the summer before adding any more names to their ranks.

Either way, Brus, writing for the Daily Briefing, thinks there is a strong chance Liverpool could look to sign more than one defender in 2026, depending on the outcome of Konate’s future.

‘If I were to guess, I’d say there’s a decent chance Liverpool’s list of CB targets is growing because they might try making more than one signing in that position, though of course that’s unconfirmed for the moment, and would likely change if Konate ended up staying,’ he stated.

Despite the injury loss of young Italian Giovanni Leoni for the season, trusted Liverpool journalist James Pearce does not think the Reds will delve into the January transfer market.

In a Q&A with The Athletic, he stated: “It was a real blow losing Leoni for the season, but Liverpool still seem relaxed about their centre-back options.

“Whether further injuries or form trigger a change of heart in the coming months, we’ll have to wait and see. After a summer of unprecedented spending from the club, it wouldn’t surprise me if the January window is very quiet.

“Arne Slot may be down to three specialist senior centre-backs, but Ryan Gravenberch, Wataru Endo and Andy Robertson can also operate there.”

Furthermore, our transfer insider Dean Jones also believes Palace will fight to keep hold of Guehi in January, meaning a free transfer exit looks most likely for the 25-year-old next summer.

Assessing widespread interest in Palace stars Guehi, midfielder Adam Wharton and right-back Daniel Munoz, Jones told TEAMtalk:

“I don’t expect any of them to leave in January. It would take a very bold offer to tempt any of the three away at that stage.

“It makes more sense for Guehi to wait it out until summer and make his free agent move than to be sold in the winter.

“Wharton is not going to leave halfway through the season, and I don’t think interest in Munoz is clear enough to take seriously at this point. But of course there is still time for that to change.

“Palace tend to communicate well with players that could leave the club and so if anything starts to open up I expect some very clear understanding to be outlined.”

Liverpool latest: Stunning Isak transfer claims; media torch Wirtz

Meanwhile, Barcelona are expected to part ways with Robert Lewandowski next summer, and one source has staggeringly explained why Alexander Isak could fill the void after just a single season at Liverpool, though we’ve explained exactly why the speculation needs to be treated with a pinch of salt.

The Swede endured another problematic night on Monday as his nation, Sweden, suffered a crushing 1-0 loss to Kosovo in a World Cup qualifier in Gothenburg, to leave them on the brink of elimination.

Off the back of that dismal night, the Swedish media has rated Isak’s “fail” display, rating him a concerning one out of five for his performance.

Another salty journalist, meanwhile, could not resist a huge dig at the Reds frontman, blaming him for all manner of things.

He wasn’t the only Liverpool star to get a media bashing, with Florian Wirtz also getting a tough review from a series of German publications and amid a brutal claim that he ‘didn’t succeed with anything’.

The £116m man was also booed by the Windsor Park crowd as his side picked up a narrow 1-0 win in Belfast.

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