Slot pivots towards ‘unbelievable’ Liverpool centre-back signing after Guehi rethink

Liverpool are reportedly ready to switch their focus away from top centre-back target Marc Guehi, due to his expensive price tag, and move for another impressive Premier League star instead.

The Reds have already had an incredibly productive summer, finally welcoming Giorgi Mamardashvili after his loan stint at Valencia last season, while new signings Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and Florian Wirtz have also bolstered the Premier League champions’ squad.

Striker Hugo Ekitike is also on the brink of becoming Liverpool‘s third biggest signing of all time, but ot appears that Anfield transfer chiefs are not done there.

Signing a new centre-back is a serious option for the Reds as they look to avoid a similar scenario that developed with Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold when it comes to Ibrahima Konate.

The France defender has just a year remaining on his current contract and there has been no progress on new deal talks as he continues to be courted by Real Madrid.

That has led to renewed talk of a swoop for Palace star Guehi, who also remains a major target for Tottenham, but now GiveMeSport reports that Liverpool could now pivot towards Aston Villa star Ezri Konsa instead.

Konsa, who was described as ‘unbelievable’ by Manchester United star Luke Shaw after his performance for England against Switzerland in the quarter-finals at Euro 2024, had another impressive campaign for Villa last term.

The report does add that while Guehi remains Liverpool’s main target, 27-year-old Konsa has emerged as a cheaper option for Arne Slot after Unai Emery’s men missed out on Champions League qualifiaction last season.

While a final decision has yet to be made on what to do over Konate’s contract stand-off, Liverpool are continuing to keep a close eye on potential replacements to partner Van Dijk.

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 Liverpool told why Guehi would be Konate ‘upgrade’

While the Reds could indeed turn towards Konsa, former Anfield favourite Emile Heskey thinks Guehi is the one who ticks all the right boxes for the club when it comes to potentially replacing Konate.

Indeed, Heskey actually believes Liverpool would be stronger defensively if the Palace man was brought in to partner skipper Van Dijk.

“I think he’s going to be an upgrade if he arrives,” Heskey exclusively told TEAMtalk, in association with BestBettingSites.co.uk.

“He’s got the composure and ability to play out from the back, and he’ll be a great partner for Virgil van Dijk. Playing alongside Virgil will give him the chance to learn so much.

“I would love them to be playing together, but I’d also be happy to keep Ibrahima Konate, and have some rotation. I think it’s a bit of an upgrade though, without doubt.

“Can they do a deal for Guehi? We will have to wait and see, but Palace may want to cash in now because his contract expires in 12 months’ time.”

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VOTE – If Liverpool sign Guehi, who should their starting centre-back partnership be next season?