Liverpool ready to ditch Guehi as TOP TARGET changes

Liverpool have made a surprise shift in their January transfer plans, with Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi no longer their leading target for the centre-back position.

Arne Slot’s side made a record spend in the summer but still suffered disappointment on Deadline Day when Guehi’s move to Anfield broke down at the last moment.

Out of contract next summer, Liverpool were expected to move against for Guehi during January following a serious injury to young Italian centre-back Giovanni Leoni, but it appears they have changed their minds amid potential competition from Real Madrid, Tottenham and Chelsea.

Instead, they are looking at Guehi’s Crystal Palace team-mate Maxence Lacroix, Football Insider reports.

The 25-year-old Lacroix has been described by Liverpool insiders as a “Rolls-Royce” of a central defender and has been an unsung hero amid Palace’s 18-match undefeated run.

As the Reds discovered in the summer, getting the London club to part with their leading players is no easy task, and while Lacroix’s Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) is a relatively modest €30 million, there is likely to be significant opposition from within the Selhurst Park outfit.

With the Frenchman under contract until 2029, Palace would appear to hold all of the cards in this deal.

Lacroix can make an immediate impact at Liverpool

Lacroix is rated highly by data analytics firm SciSports, which suggests that he would fit nicely into Liverpool’s centre-back rotation alongside Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.

Indeed, Slot will be looking to a potential future without his regular starters. The 34-year-old Van Dijk is showing some signs of slowing down, while Konate is out of contract at the end of the season and has been linked with a move to Real Madrid.

SciSports believes that Lacroix is a comparable standard to both and a significant step better than Joe Gomez, who is currently Liverpool’s third and final senior option in the centre-back role.

The Reds, therefore, need a January deal and a move for Lacroix adds up, even if Crystal Palace are liable to make it difficult for them.

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