Liverpool face five-way battle for Marc Guehi in January transfer window after crunch talks

Marc Guehi will have no shortage of suitors in the January transfer window , with four other clubs emerging as contenders alongside Liverpool . Guehi’s future is up in the air once again after Crystal Palace pulled the plug on a deadline-day move to Liverpool.

The Palace captain was left furious after his £35million transfer to Anfield fell apart at the last minute due to a change of heart from chairman Steve Parish. Manager Oliver Glasner threatened to resign if Palace allowed their star player to leave without signing a replacement and Parish buckled.

Guehi’s contract is set to expire at the end of June and he has no plans to sign a new one , meaning January will be crucial to deciding his future. The 25-year-old will be free to sign a pre-contract agreement with a foreign side in January, while Liverpool could try to complete a cut-price deal with Palace, who know they will lose him for nothing otherwise.

However, it won’t just be the Reds trying to land the England international, with the Daily Star reporting that Manchester City , Real Madrid , Barcelona and Bayern Munich are all interested. City let Manuel Akanji leave on loan to Inter Milan on deadline day and could move on Nathan Ake before moving for Guehi.

It remains to be seen how Guehi reacts to the failed Liverpool move, with suggestions earlier in the week that he could step down as Palace captain, but England boss Thomas Tuchel was unequivocal in his support after holding talks with him in the build-up to the Andorra game on Saturday evening.

Tuchel said: “We had a chat with him. He looks absolutely fine. Very impressive on the field. He’s the main driver of Palace’s success, captain and the leader. He’s continued this in camp. He handles it with respect and grace and a brilliant attitude.”

Guehi started the 2-0 win over Andorra at Villa Park and will hope to keep his starting place in Tuchel’s line-up ahead of the World Cup next year. While he never agitated for a transfer, Guehi was keen on the move to Liverpool, who are still favourites to sign him in 2026.

Arne Slot wanted competition for places for his first-choice centre-back pairing of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate. Joe Gomez and £26m summer signing Giovanni Leoni are the current back-ups after Jarell Quansah was sold to Bayer Leverkusen for £35m this summer.

Liverpool showed their ambition by splashing £450m on new signings in the summer window, with Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz the headline additions. They have started the campaign with three straight wins in the Premier League and the chance to win titles will be a major draw for Guehi.

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