Liverpool FORCED to buy Marc Guehi by Real Madrid

Liverpool need to agree a deal with Crystal Palace for Marc Guehi this summer as Barcelona and Real Madrid are looking to pounce in January, according to a report.

The Crystal Palace captain is out of contract next summer and has so far shown no inclination to extend his stay at Selhurst Park beyond 2026. In fact, if it were up to Guehi, he would already be on his way to Merseyside.

Liverpool have been locked in talks with Palace for the defender for weeks. There is an acceptance on the part of Eagles boss Steve Parish that he needs to sell Guehi this summer, but a gap in valuation remains.

The Reds don’t want to overpay for a player who is free to move next year and have so far refused to match the Community Shield winners’ demands. Reports that Man City could swoop in and agree a deal for the 25-year-old have been downplayed by Fabrizio Romano.

Liverpool are confident that Guehi will choose them in January if they can’t agree a deal with Palace before next week’s deadline, but it seems that this would be a massive gamble from the Premier League champions.

Barcelona, Real Madrid want Guehi

According to Sky Sports, it is not inconceivable that clubs like Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus come calling for Guehi when he becomes eligible to negotiate a pre-contract in January.

The report adds that Guehi has yet to receive any new approaches since talks with Liverpool began. He has turned down a contract offer from Palace and is in an ‘extremely strong’ negotiating position.

It seems unlikely that Liverpool will be able to agree a deal with Palace before the latter stages of this week, as the Eagles are travelling to Norway to play the second leg of their Conference League qualifier with Frederikstad.

Head coach Oliver Glasner has pleaded with the club not to sell Guehi – at least before this fixture – because his side is already short on centre-back options.

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