A current Premier League player has reportedly reiterated his desire to sign for Liverpool in an admission which could yet pique the attention of the Anfield hierarchy.
The Reds were linked with Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi during the summer transfer window, with the 24-year-old staying at Selhurst Park as his club rejected multiple bids from Newcastle.
Guehi reiterates desire to join Liverpool
According to Football Insider, the England international believes that he can ‘do better’ than joining the Magpies and is holding out for a move to a club in the Champions League.
It’s claimed that Guehi has told friends that a transfer to Liverpool would be of ‘particular interest’ to him if the Reds were to revive their interest in the centre-back.
The same outlet reported a near-identical news item roughly a month ago in which it was mentioned that Palace value him at £75m.
Guehi’s good but he could struggle to start for Liverpool
Guehi’s star was firmly in the ascendancy earlier this year after a strong finish to last season for the Eagles and his role in helping England to reach the final of Euro 2024 – indeed, Micah Richards called him a ‘joy to watch‘ during the tournament in Germany in the summer.
However, the 24-year-old has found the going a bit tougher since then, with his club in the Premier League relegation zone and still awaiting their first top-flight win nearly a quarter of the way through the campaign.
Also, with Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate forming an imperious centre-back partnership at Liverpool, the Englishman could struggle to start regularly for the Reds.
As per FBref, his passing rate of 85.1% for the season so far is well below the LFC duo, both of whom exceed 91%, while his tally of six interceptions is only a third of the Netherlands international from the same number of minutes on the pitch. Also, he’s won just 62.2% of his aerial duels, compared to 73.8% and 83.3% for our number 4 and 5 respectively.
Arne Slot also has two strong backup options in Jarell Quansah and Joe Gomez, so there doesn’t appear to be any great need to move for Guehi as things stand.
However, should any of our current centre-backs leave or succumb to a long-term injury, the Palace defender might then be worth considering, particularly given his apparent desire to play for Liverpool.
He’s a decent player but he’s not at Konate’s level. He isn’t great in the air, only 6ft 1inches which in centre half terms these days, is on the smaller end of the scale. And the price Palace want is way above what he’s really worth. There is better and cheaper in Europe.