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Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak (left) and Liverpool manager Arne Slot

Less than 48 hours after seeing Marc Guehi hold aloft the Community Shield at Wembley, Liverpool have made their move for the England international.

The Reds have opened talks with Crystal Palace and are looking to snap up the centre-back in an initial £30m deal.

Should Liverpool be successful in their pursuit of the long-time target, he will arrive for the exact same overall £35m fee the Reds commanded when selling Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen earlier this summer.

The 25-year-old is braced to become Liverpool’s ninth signing of the summer and take their overall spending beyond the £300m mark.

READ MORE:Alexander Isak transfer takes ugly turn as Liverpool wait on new Newcastle United moveREAD MORE:Liverpool open talks with Crystal Palace over £30m Marc Guehi transfer

However, they are yet to discuss personal terms with the defender - though he is understood to be keen on making the move to Anfield - with Reds bosses holding club-to-club talks with Palace first out of respect for the relationship between the two clubs, particularly the long-standing relationship between Liverpool's football leadership team and Eagles owner Steve Parish.

The Reds have been in the market for a new centre-back for a number of years, only to be left disappointed in the pursuits of Levi Colwill, Leny Yoro and Dean Huijsen.

While they still wish to add a highly-rated young centre-back to their ranks, as they firm up interest in Parma centre-back Giovanni Leoni, Guehi’s expiring contract status has presented a market opportunity that Liverpool - ever the transfer opportunists - could not pass up.

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Palace rejected four bids from Newcastle United last summer for Guehi, with the latest worth up to £65m, while Tottenham Hotspur had a £70m approach rejected back in January.

Considering the Eagles had reportedly wanted more than £40m to sell the centre-back this summer as he prepared to enter the final 12 months of his contract, for the Reds to negotiate a deal below such a fee is certainly something of a transfer coup.

Palace had appeared to be reluctant sellers all summer long, even taking into consideration the fact that Guehi had shown no inclination of negotiating a new deal.

Consequently, while Liverpool’s interest in the England international had been well-documented, it was also clear that Eagles would have to soften their stance and lower their demands if the Reds were to make their move this summer as opposed to moving for Guehi on a free transfer in 2026.

Admittedly, the softening of such stance was made public by Palace owner Steve Parish at Wembley when celebrating his side’s Community Shield win over Liverpool.

“Yes, of course, for players of that calibre to leave on a free, it is a problem for a football club,” Parish said.

But we have got to make smart ones.”

With Parish leaving the door open for a Guehi exit from Selhurst Park, it has not taken long for Liverpool to make their move.

Given that Virgil van Dijk went viral for the knowing look he made to camera in the Wembley tunnel when spotting Arne Slot embracing Guehi, perhaps we should not be surprised.

It certainly will not be lost on onlookers how the Reds move has come in the aftermath of facing Crystal Palace at Wembley.

The centre-back has captained Palace to FA Cup and Community Shield glory in recent months, after all, as well as a 12th place Premier League finish and European qualification.

Should he indeed complete a switch to Liverpool, he will depart with Eagles well-wishes - especially given his touted transfer fee would be roughly double what Palace paid Chelsea for him four years ago as opposed to the would-be Bosman exit if he had seen out his contract.

The resolution of his future then will come in stark contrast to that of fellow Reds transfer target, Alexander Isak.

The Swede is currently being made to train alone at Newcastle United, having skipped their entire pre-season schedule.

Having not been handed a new contract earlier in the campaign despite previous promises, he had no desire to belatedly sign an extension.

With Newcastle struggling to recruit attacking reinforcements so far this summer, supporters have turned on Isak for how he is handling his situation.

But with Liverpool continuing to monitor developments, having not made a fresh move for the striker since their initial £110m offer was rejected earlier this month, this is a saga that looks set to rumble on during the final weeks of the transfer window.

It’s understood that Reds bosses considered it futile to return with an improved offer, given the swiftness and clarity of Newcastle’s rejection.

With the Premier League campaign set to get underway on Friday 15 August, Liverpool travel to Newcastle for their second outing on Monday 25 August.

The ECHO's sister site, The Chronicle, reported last week that the Magpies have no intention of seeing Isak play in the blockbuster Monday Night Football showdown.

Consequently, the Reds’ move for Guehi - coming in the aftermath of the Community Shield showdown with Crystal Palace - could be a hint of things to come between Liverpool and Newcastle and how the Isak saga could still be resolved.

The Reds waited until after an in-transfer window meeting with Palace to make their move for Guehi, with speculation over his future in the interim appearing to be far more amicable.

With Newcastle fighting a losing battle to retain Isak’s services, Liverpool might have to wait until after their trip to St.
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