Liverpool could potentially strike a deal for Marc Guéhi which would largely be funded by Jarell Quansah’s sale to Bayer Leverkusen, reports have claimed.
The Reds have been rampant spenders this summer, committing a club-record sum on the arrivals of Milos Kerkez, Florian Wirtz, Ármin Pécsi, Jeremie Frimpong and most recently backup goalkeeper Freddie Woodman, who arrived on a free from Preston North End.
However, the outlay is not expended to end there. While there are some doubts over the club’s willingness to sink more funds into a new striker, multiple outlets stress Liverpool’s priority is a new centre-back.
An area of the pitch dominated by the partnership of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté is expected to be weakened by the imminent departure of Quansah. The England international is set to undergo a medical on Monday at Bayer Leverkusen, Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg reports.
The deal is thought to be worth an initial fee of €30 million (£25.6 million, $35.1 million), although add-ons could take that sum up to £35 million ($48 million). The valuation for Guéhi is less unanimous.
Palace bluntly rebuffed several bids from Newcastle United last summer, with their highest offer thought to be in the region of £65 million ($89.2 million). However, one year on and Guéhi is in the final 12 months of his contract, with reports claiming that he has no intention of signing a new deal.
Faced with the prospect of losing their skipper for free next summer, BBC Sport claim that Palace would be willing to accept an offer of between £40–45 million ($54.9–61.8 million). Whether the Reds match those supposed demands remains to be seen.
There is no risk of Liverpool breaching the Premier League’s financial regulations and Quansah’s exit would cover the majority of that outlay. Beyond Van Dijk and Konaté, Arne Slot has limited options to choose from in the middle of the backline, with the rarely used Joe Gomez the only other natural centre-back in the squad if Quansah leaves. Defensive midfielder Wataru Endo can also fill in at the back.
Complicating Liverpool’s pursuit is rival Premier League interest in Guéhi. Spurned suitors Newcastle and Tottenham Hotspur are thought to be joined by Arsenal in their shared admiration of the England international.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Liverpool Learn ‘Marc Guehi Price’, Close on £35 Million Sale.
