Sky reporter sounds uncomfortable Marc Guehi transfer truth which’ll infuriate Liverpool fans

A renowned transfer reporter has claimed that Marc Guehi would already be a Liverpool player if Anfield chiefs had ‘really, really wanted him’.

The Reds were on the cusp of securing the Crystal Palace captain for £35m at the end of last summer’s transfer window, only for the south London club to cancel the deal in the final hours of deadline day.

Four-and-a-half months later, the England centre-back is off to Manchester City after Pep Guardiola’s side had a £20m offer accepted by the Eagles, leaving Kopites with huge frustration as to how LFC missed out on the 25-year-old.

Palace perplexed by Liverpool’s ‘blasé’ attitude towards Guehi transfer

On Friday evening, Sky Sports News reporter Kaveh Solhekol was asked if Liverpool will now regard the failure to sign Guegi as a ‘huge missed opportunity’, and his answer will only infuriate Reds supporters even more.

He replied: “Do you know what – I don’t think so. I think if Liverpool really, really wanted him in the summer, they would’ve got him.

“The information we always got from Crystal Palace was that Liverpool were quite blasé about it. They spent all this money on forward players, and then at the last minute, they made an offer for Marc Guehi, and it was kind of a ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ offer.

“I think Crystal Palace officials actually had to go up to Liverpool at the Community Shield and speak to their opposite numbers and say, ‘Look, what’s going on with Marc Guehi? We heard you’re interested. When are you gonna make an offer, because we need to know where we stand’.”

Liverpool’s dawdling over Guehi is hard to comprehend

If indeed it’s true that Selhurst Park officials had to almost cajole their Anfield counterparts into action over Guehi a full three weeks before an offer was made, that reflects terribly on the Liverpool hierarchy.

Kopites will rightly be asking why their club left it until deadline day to make their move for the 25-year-old when, had they gone in with a £35m bid even a week after the Community Shield, the Eagles would probably have accepted it as they’d have a bit of time to source and sign a replacement.

Solhekol’s line that the Reds would likely have acquired the defender if they ‘really, really wanted him’ is difficult to argue with, and lays bare an uncomfortable truth which should have Richard Hughes feeling pangs of regret.

Subsqeuent reports that Liverpool chose not to pursue Guehi in January because they didn’t view it as a market opportunity (Liverpool Echo) will only serve to heighten the sense of anger among supporters who’ve had justified concerns over a lack of centre-back depth and the rate of goals conceded this season.

While LFC dawdled, Man City acted decisively in response to their own injury crisis in defence and duly landed their prize.

The whole saga reflects poorly on the Anfield powerbrokers, but with two weeks still remaining in the transfer window, now is not the time for them to wallow in self-pity. There’s still a chance to partially rectify the reputational damage by signing an alternative target this month.

You can watch Slot’s full pre-Burnley press conference below, via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:

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