Talks underway: Premier League rivals may have stolen a march on Liverpool for ‘absolute gem’
Liverpool could be at risk of missing out on one reported transfer target this month, with a Premier League rival having initiated talks with the player.
On Friday, The Athletic‘s David Ornstein stated that Newcastle have commenced negotiations with Crystal Palace over a possible move for Marc Guehi, stealing a march on other apparent suitors as the first club to enter ‘meaningful’ discussions.
Fabrizio Romano had indicated last month that the 24-year-old was the subject of numerous scouting missions from the Merseyside giants, although The Mirror’s David Anderson claimed that the England defender isn’t a player of interest at Anfield.
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There have been conflicting reports as to just how much Guehi is valued by Liverpool as a plausible transfer target this summer, but if he’s a player that Richard Hughes wants at Anfield, the Reds’ sporting director may need to start moving swiftly.
It appears that Newcastle have moved firmly into pole position for a defender who was dubbed an ‘absolute gem’ by Michael Beale, who previously coached him at Chelsea’s academy (Sky Sports).
With doubts over the futures of Joe Gomez and Sepp van den Berg, LFC are at risk of being left short of centre-back options, and the Palace maestro would appear to be a ‘perfect fit’ for Arne Slot, as former Everton chief Keith Wyness told Football Insider.
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At 24, he’s in that happy intersection of boasting plenty of high-level experience while still having the bulk of his career ahead of him, while he wouldn’t make a dent on Liverpool’s non-homegrown quota for domestic and European squads.
The one factor which might be holding the Reds back from going all-out for him is that, with the assumption that Virgil van Dijk will always start if available and Guehi wouldn’t be content to be a mere squad player, Jarell Quansah could be relegated to a backup role.
That’d not only stunt the 21-year-old’s development but also be grossly unfair on him, considering how excellent he’s been ever since breaking into the first-team fold.
If that indeed is the reason why Liverpool haven’t moved in for transfer talks and Newcastle have, it would be understandable, so long as we don’t come to regret that inactivity should he move to St James’ Park and duly thrive.
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