Liverpool is preparing an audacious January bid to dramatically hijack Barcelona’s long-admired top transfer target.
The player, long admired by Barcelona as an ideal partner for their new-look backline, has seen his future become a key storyline of the upcoming window, with his expiring contract and bargain price tag inviting bids from Europe’s elite.
Yet the emotional pull of Anfield, the promise of a leading role in Arne Slot’s rebuild, and the chance to fix a leaky defensive unit appear to have tilted the scales decisively in Liverpool’s favour, dealing a serious blow to Barça’s planning.
The player is Marc Guehi, Crystal Palace’s 25-year-old captain, who is described as “very keen” on joining Liverpool, seeing it as his childhood dream move and prioritising Anfield over Camp Nou despite strong and sustained interest from Barcelona, as reported by CaughtOffside.
Both clubs have tracked him for months as a low-cost, high-upside solution at centre-back, but while Barcelona explored a free transfer or pre-contract route, Liverpool is now pushing to bring him in as early as January, even if it means paying a fee rather than waiting until the summer.
A January deal, potentially around the £30–35 million mark, would allow Palace to cash in rather than lose him for nothing, while giving Slot a calm, athletic organiser at the heart of his back line.
Barcelona, meanwhile, are left to reassess.
They viewed Guehi as a smart, financially accessible option to bolster a defence that has lost depth and consistency, but their weaker spending power and timing have again proved decisive.
With the player’s heart seemingly set on Liverpool, Deco and Hansi Flick may be forced to move on to alternative centre-back targets as another shared objective between the two clubs tilts towards the Premier League.
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