David Ornstein reveals who Marc Guehi is leaning towards as Liverpool face competition from Man City
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Liverpool’s need for defensive reinforcements becomes more and more apparent as every game passes.
Throughout pre-season, the Reds looked rather fragile at the back and conceded far too many goals, with many fans hoping this would change when players start to regain their fitness.
This has not been the case, however, and after two Premier League games, their need for more options at the back becomes more obvious.
Ibrahima Konate, especially, has struggled, and with his contract set to expire very soon, many may think this is playing a role in his performances.
With that said, signing Marc Guehi goes from more of a want to a necessity by the minute, although due to Liverpool stalling, Manchester City are preparing to enter the race.
David Ornstein, though, has provided an update that indicated where the Englishman’s head is at, and it suggests the Reds need to make a move quickly before it is too late.
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There is no denying Guehi’s quality but as he has just a year left on his contract, Liverpool are unwilling to pay Crystal Palace’s £40m asking price.
A deal worth closer to £30m would suit the Reds a lot more, although the gap in valuation is what is causing a delay in this deal getting over the line.
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Manchester City could come in with a late hijack if they are not careful, however they do want to sell first, but according to Ornstein of The Athletic, Guehi still prefers a move to Anfield.
He reports that Liverpool have held initial talks and could make a credible proposal, but how Palace would react is still largely unknown.
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Ornstein states that if he does move, though, Liverpool is his first-choice option, but there is still a chance he sees out the remaining year on his deal.
With less than a week left until the deadline, things will have to move fairly quickly, but based on the start to the season the Reds have had, they should perhaps pay what Palace want to get it done as soon as possible.
Despite there needing to be a sense of urgency to make this deal happen, there seems to be something else that will cause a delay.
According to Ornstein, Palace manager Oliver Glasner has told Guehi that he must stay for their Europa Conference League second leg qualifier against Fredrikstad on Thursday.
This means that agreeing a deal really will be cutting it fine, with there being just four days after that to sort all the details out.
Palace, however, do not want to lose him for nothing, so if the Reds do want him promptly, as long as they pay the right price they may not have to wait.