Liverpool are actively pursuing a defender this summer and Marc Guehi is towards the top of their list.

Pre-season is a time for players to get back up to full fitness and for managers to understand what their best XI will be for the new campaign.

Arne Slot and Liverpool fans will have certainly learnt a lot after seeing their team play this summer, although the main takeaway appears to be a negative one.

Although the attack has been free-flowing, the defence has looked rather shaky and appears to be in need of reinforcements.

Liverpool given green light to make Marc Guehi bid after losing to Crystal Palace	Liverpool transfer news: Marc Guehi hopes given massive boost as striker demand made	Liverpool prepare move for teenage defender as Marc Guehi alternative

Crystal Palace captain Guehi is someone the Reds have identified as a possible solution to this problem, although whether a move materialises is yet to be seen.

If it does, however, there are a few things that the Englishman will need to be guaranteed, with journalist David Ornstein revealing that the 25-year-old currently has two options.

Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images

When Liverpool come calling, players often do not hesitate to join, and that has been proven this summer.

However, although no bid has gone in as of yet, the reason it perhaps has not is because the Reds can sense that Guehi is a little hesitant, with Ornstein confirming that getting regular minutes will be the deciding factor.

MORE LIVERPOOL STORIES

“As we understand at The Athletic, it’s either joining Liverpool or staying at Crystal Palace and leaving as a free agent in the summer of 2026,” Ornstein said on The Sports Agents YouTube channel.

“That puts the onus on Liverpool to come up with an offer and how will Palace view that?

But then what will Marc Guehi decide to do?

READ MORE: Jamie Carragher left ‘uneasy’ by Liverpool decision that could have a huge impact on new signing

“Does he decide to go and fight with van Dijk and Konate in a World Cup year?

He’s very happy at Crystal Palace and he’s the main man there, the captain, arguably their best player, so there is obviously a chance he moves to Liverpool but there is still a chance he stays.”

Although he is outside Liverpool’s usual age profile of between 18-22, they see Guehi as an exception and if the market opportunity is right, a move will be made.

Whether it is completed, however, is another story, with the player himself having a lot of power as to whether the Reds can get it over the line.

A centre-back is a top priority but one might not be enough, with Liverpool also looking at other, younger options to bring in alongside an experienced head.

Parma’s Giovanni Leoni is another player that the Reds are said to be keeping close tabs on, with Fabrizio Romano revealing that he could join as well as Guehi, rather than one or the other.

The 18-year-old would be seen as the heir to Virgil van Dijk’s throne, with the Italian able to learn off him for a few years before taking over.

He is well respected in Italy despite being so young, suggesting why Liverpool are keen to make a move, although they would face stiff competition for his signature.