After a summer of speculation that he was Liverpool’s top centre half transfer target, the Reds have finally submitted a formal transfer request for Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi.
According to widespread reports, the offer is said to be a flat £35million with no add-ons but a 10% sell-on fee, with Palace said to now be seeking £5M of additional add-ons instead of the sell-on fee. Guehi is in the final 12 months of his contract with the south London club and has made it clear that he does not intend
to sign a new deal.
This has put Crystal Palace at a disadvantage in negotiations, as they will want to avoid the captain becoming a free agent next summer. Regardless that it appears a deal is likely, Liverpool surely left things to the wire, which is unlike the transfer committee, who for the last several years have chosen to get their big transfer business done as early in the window as possible.
The need for a great, reliable centre-back to play alongside Virgil van Dijk has been evident in these first two games. Thought the Reds have picked up all six available points, they’ve also managed to leak four goals and twice waste two-goals leads. Right now, Ibrahima Konaté and Joe Gomez are the only established senior centre-backs at the club. Jarell Quansah’s move away signaled that Slot intended to bring in a high quality replacement, with wantaway Guehi always at the top of the speculation list.
The clock is ticking down and both the deals for Guehi and forward Alexander Isak remain in flux but still very much possible. It will be an exciting weekend with this drama as well as the match against Arsenal to keep fans on the edge of their seats.
