Liverpool backed into corner as Marc Guehi transfer statement made

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Liverpool could be forced into a deal to sign Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi - following reports that Oliver Glasner's side are set to cash-in during the January transfer window . According to reports, Barcelona and Real Madrid are keen on the England international with the prospect of the La Liga giants potentially luring him away from the Premier League .

The Austrian's side will bid farewell to their captain at the end of the season after he turned down a new contract at Selhurst Park. However, according to the i paper, Palace may try to recoup some money for Guehi in the January transfer window, marking the end of his nearly six-year stint with the club.

It's suggested that Palace's strategy for the upcoming transfer window is to avoid losing the England centre-back on a free transfer. Consequently, it's rumoured that European giants such as Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich , Liverpool and Manchester City are all circling.

Ahead of this weekend's Premier League matches, Glasner confirmed that Guehi has rejected a new deal - and will depart at the end of the season. Liverpool were close to securing his signature during the summer transfer window, but the deal fell through at the last minute as Palace couldn't find a replacement.

"I think Marc has already told us that he doesn't sign a new contract, so he will leave next year," said the Austrian on Friday. The club wanted (him to stay).

"They offered Marc a new contract. But he said; 'No, I want to make something different'. And that's normal.

"And for us, it's how we can deal with this situation? [What] is the best way to get this next step done? And that's all about how we are talking together."

Palace chairman Steve Parish disclosed that their participation in the UEFA Conference League had influenced the decision to ultimately prevent the proposed transfer - after their replacement target, Igor Julio, opted to join West Ham instead. "It's a difficult decision," he told talkSPORT.

"It's as simple as that these things are never black and white. I decided in the end that, based on the advice that I got and with what I think, that we would have a better season if we kept Marc.

"We don't guess about these sort of things. If you look at it rationally, if you look at what is worth the place in the Premier League, the fact that we're in the Conference League for the first time in our history, this is a fairly unusual set of circumstances in which to keep a player.

"If we were fighting between the difference of 10th and 14th, and if that was going to be the difference between keeping Marc and letting Marc go, then probably we would have said; 'Right, we should take the money'."

Liverpool were anticipated to wait until the end of the 2025/2026 campaign to attempt to secure Guehi on a free transfer, but now face a choice with interest from Europe's elite clubs - who would also be able to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with the defender in January's transfer window.