Following Giovanni Leoni’s season-ending injury blow, Liverpool have been handed a key boost in pursuit of Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi.
Leoni injury hands Liverpool centre-back problem
For all of Liverpool’s excellent spending in the summer, they are now just one injury away from having two senior centre-backs at their disposal. The Reds went all in on Marc Guehi at the end of the transfer window, only for Crystal Palace to pull the plug on his move at the last moment. Now, Leoni’s ACL injury has left Arne Slot short of defensive options.
For now, it’s a problem that Liverpool must solve internally. Whether that sees Wataro Endo become an emergency centre-back or the likes of defender Rhys Williams receive the most unexpected recall is a question that, in truth, Slot will not want to face before January arrives.
Meanwhile, when the January transfer window does swing open, it will be all eyes on Guehi. Slot has not tried to hide how close Liverpool were to signing the Crystal Palace defender and another attempt could yet be on the cards.
The Dutchman told reporters: “It would be ridiculous if I were to deny we were close to signing him. That is so out in the open. These things happen in football. We would have liked to have signed him, of course. If we feel we can strengthen the team, we never hesitate to do so.“
The injury to Leoni has potentially added more urgency to Liverpool’s position and Sky Sports have just shared an update on the Reds’ pursuit of Geuhi.
Sky Sports share "big news" about Guehi
Live on air, Sky Sports journalist Tom White shared “big news” that Crystal Palace have accepted that Guehi’s time at the club is coming to an end – be it in January or at the end of his contract next summer.
White revealed: “We’ve got some news just into us. This is big news regarding Marc Guehi, because we are told that Crystal Palace realistically accept that Marc Guehi’s time at the club is coming to an end.”
The ball is now arguably in Liverpool’s court. The Reds could look to solve their centre-back problem by attempting a cut-price deal to sign Guehi just six months before his contract comes to an end this January. Or, they could wait to land the ultimate bargain at the end of his deal next summer.