Liverpool front and centre for Marc Guehi signing with talk over huge move intensifying

Liverpool have emerged as the leading contenders to sign Marc Guehi after a major rival dropped OUT of the race and with Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish dropping a seismic update on the future of the England defender.

The Reds have spent £265m (€306m, $356m) so far this summer on seven new additions to further strengthen a Liverpool squad that will begin its defence of the Premier League title with a home clash against Bournemouth at Anfield on Friday evening. Going into the new season, Arne Slot’s side will be considered favourites by many as the Reds look to win successive English league crowns for the first time since going three in a row between 1982 and 1984.

While much of the money Slot has been spent has been in reinvigorating the attacking third – the best part of £185m (€214m, $249m) spent on Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz alone, Liverpool are far from done yet, with the sales of Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz fuelling efforts to try and add Alexander Isak to their mix.

Despite that, Liverpool still need defensive reinforcements too, and with Jarell Quansah sold to Bayer Leverkusen, the injury to Joe Gomez over pre-season means the Reds will go into the new season with just Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate as senior central defensive options.

As a result, links to Palace star Guehi have never been far from the news. And with the Eagles likely to cash in on the central defender, with his contract due to expire next June, the Reds are standing by for a late window raid on Selhurst Park.

To aid their chances of a deal, TEAMtalk transfer correspondent Rudy Galetti revealed back in early July that the Reds have already agreed personal terms with the 23-times capped England star over a five-year deal, and having learned they are the defender’s first choice should he leave this summer.

Now those hopes have gathered serious momentum off the back of a major double update. Firstly, Mike McGrath of The Telegraph has reported that Chelsea have ‘no plans’ to follow up their initial interest in re-signing Guehi, despite holding a long-standing interest in the player and in the wake of a serious ACL injury suffered by Levi Colwill.

To add to the speculation, Van Dijk was seen giving something of a knowing look in the Wembley tunnel when Slot shook hands with Guehi prior to Sunday’s Community Shield, with the skipper’s actions going viral and sparking a frenzy of speculation…

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Steve Parish drops seismic update on Guehi future

Marc Guéhi and Arne Slot there 🫱🏼‍🫲🏻👀 pic.twitter.com/sPQ6oWVMuJ

— Slots Baldy Head (@ScouseRed0151) August 10, 2025

However, the most significant update has come from Palace chairman Parish, who admits the FA Cup winners are likely to be backed into a corner over Guehi’s future.

“We’d have to do that, of course,” Parish told BBC Sport when asked about selling Guehi in the event of him not extending his contract.

“For players of that calibre to leave on a free, it’s a problem for us unfortunately.

“Joachim [Andersen] went [to Fulham last summer] and we couldn’t afford to lose both.

“We then had another bid [for Guehi] in January but that was a different situation.

“We’ll just have to see what happens. But, you know, it needs a new contract or a conclusion of some kind.”

Liverpool transfer latest: Chelsea links to Konate; Newcastle advised to sell Isak

While Guehi remains a player of interest and is seen as an ‘opportunistic signing’ at Anfield, a recent report reveals Richard Hughes is also weighing up three other young centre-halves in addition to the Crystal Palace star after a scouting extravaganza.

The Reds’ need for a new defender could be hastened by the fact that Konate also falls out of contract at Anfield next June, with efforts to extend his stay so far hitting multiple stumbling blocks.

As a result of that, fanciful reports in Spain claim Chelsea are now ready to present the Reds with a sizeable offer to tempt them to cash in – though Liverpool’s stance and the player’s verdict on the potential move suggests they are likely to be wasting their time.

Meanwhile, Newcastle United have been told why letting Isak leave for Anfield can be in their best interests too, as the striker continues to hold out for a blockbuster move to Merseyside.

How Marc Guehi compared to Van Dijk and Konate last season