According to reports, Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has ‘changed his mind’ on England international Marc Guehi, who could ‘replace’ Virgil van Dijk.
Heading into this summer’s transfer window. Liverpool were expected to prioritise the signing of a young centre-back who could be a long-term replacement for Van Dijk.
Despite this, the Premier League giants did not sign a new centre-back in the summer. Instead, they bought Federico Chiesa from Juventus and agreed on a deal with Valencia to land Georgia international Giorgi Mamardashvili.
With Van Dijk due to be out of contract in 2025, Liverpool could move to sign a new centre-back in January or next summer and Guehi is reportedly on their radar.
The England international was one of the top performers at Euro 2024. Newcastle United pursued him in the summer but could not meet his reported £75m valuation.
This opens the door for rival Premier League clubs to move ahead of January and Guehi could be available as he’s set to be out of contract in 2026.
A report from Football Insider claims Slot has ‘changed his mind’ on Guehi as the talented centre-back is ‘winning over’ the Liverpool head coach.
‘Liverpool boss Arne Slot is being “won over” by Marc Guehi after he was given a resounding endorsement by the club’s recruitment team, sources have told Football Insider.
‘The Reds has a concrete interest in the 24-year-old centre-back during the summer transfer window but never actively pursued a deal to Slot’s misgivings.
‘Slot wanted a left-footed centre-back to provide cover and competition for Virgil van Dijk, with the idea being that the potential top-class signing would eventually replace the Netherlands international.
‘This had conflicted with the stance of Liverpool’s recruitment, who believe that Guehi ticks all the boxes for the team after he showcased his big-match mentality when playing for England during the 2024 Euros.
‘The Liverpool manager is now beginning to change his mind about Guehi and is letting it be known that he sees the Palace player capable of succeeding all-time great Van Dijk.’
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Joshua Kimmich is another player who was linked with Liverpool in the summer and Caught Offside claim the ‘path has cleared’ for them to sign the Bayern Munich star as a rival has dropped out of the running.
‘Sources with a close understanding of the situation have confirmed to CaughtOffside that PSG previously monitored Kimmich due to his contract situation, but it’s now felt that the Ligue 1 giants are satisfied with their midfield options after the recent signing of Joao Neves from Benfica.
‘Although the Kimmich to PSG talk has come up again recently, it is now felt that other suitors such as Liverpool, and possibly others still to come from the Premier League, would have the advantage in the race to sign the Germany international as he edges closer to becoming a free agent.
‘Kimmich will be out of contract at Bayern next summer unless a new deal can be agreed before then, and that remains a possibility, even if there are no concrete updates on those talks for the moment.
‘CaughtOffside understands Liverpool remain in the market for a midfielder, having tried and failed to sign Martin Zubimendi in the summer as the Real Sociedad star turned down an offer from the Merseyside giants.
‘Zubimendi is still appreciated by Arne Slot and other key figures at Liverpool, but Kimmich is also a name who has come up as he could be a superb and affordable option for the club.’
