Liverpool face massive twist in Guehi January transfer with ‘gentleman’s agreement’ revealed

Liverpool may not look to sign Marc Guehi in January after a new twist in their long-term pursuit of the Crystal Palace captain.

Guehi came close to joining the Reds on deadline day during the summer only for Palace to pull out of a deal at the last moment, leading to a belief that Liverpool would renew their interest in January.

However, Sky Sports report that Liverpool could instead hold out until the summer to sign Guehi after allegedly having a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ with the 25-year-old for him to move to Anfield on a free transfer when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Liverpool are desperate to sign a defender after seeing summer signing Giovanni Leoni suffer an ACL injury early in the season which has left Arne Slot’s backline lacking depth.

But, with Palace likely to demand a significant fee to part ways with their skipper mid-season, Liverpool are hoping they can wait until the end of the campaign to finally get their man on a free.

Much will depend on the approaches made by foreign clubs, with Guehi able to sign a pre-contract agreement with non-English teams from January 1 when he officially has less than six months remaining on his contract.

Barcelona ‘like Guehi the most’ of any defender

The likes of Bayern Munich and Real Madrid still hold a strong interest in Guehi and could make Liverpool’s plan backfire if they convince the England star to join them.

Meanwhile, Barcelona are said to have Guehi at the top of their shortlist to strengthen in defence after Andreas Christensen suffered a serious knee injury.

Barca director Deco is understood to ‘like’ Guehi the most of any of their targets but they too are aware that the competition to sign him could prove too fierce, according to SPORT.

Liverpool or any interested club could also try and tempt Palace to cash in on Guehi during the winter, knowing that the defender has already told the club that he will not extend his deal.

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