Liverpool set to ditch interest in Guehi in favour of signing Premier League ‘Rolls Royce’
Liverpool could end their interest in Marc Guehi to pursue his Crystal Palace team-mate Maxence Lacroix in the summer, according to reports.
The Reds managed to sign one new centre-back in the summer transfer market in the form of young defender Giovanni Leoni from Serie A side Parma.
But Leoni has already picked up a serious injury with the Italy youth international suffering an ACL injury to potentially rule him out for the season.
Liverpool would have had sufficient cover for Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk if they had signed Guehi, who could have even replaced Konate in the starting XI.
The Reds were on the verge of sealing a £35m transfer on deadline day but Crystal Palace pulled the plug on the deal while Guehi was completing a medical.
There have been rumours that Liverpool could revisit a deal in January or wait until the summer when the England international’s contract runs out.
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But now Football Insider claim that there is ‘a new name at the top of their summer shortlist’ and although Guehi ‘may not end up at Anfield next year, one of his teammates could’.
Crystal Palace centre-back Lacroix is attracting interest from Liverpool with Football Insider describing him as a ‘hot topic’ inside the Reds’ recruitment department.
The report adds: ‘Sources have told Football Insider that Liverpool scouts have described the 25-year-old Frenchman as ‘a Rolls Royce’ defender.
‘There is firm belief Lacroix is up there with the Premier League‘s best centre-backs and his relative under-the-radar status makes him an even more attractive option.’
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Lacroix has an outside chance of making the France squad for the World Cup in the summer, especially if he and Crystal Palace keep up their current form.
Speaking to The Guardian in April, Lacroix said: “One day I will be in a national team – I know. But right now it’s to look at what’s happening in Crystal Palace, the semi-final and win this Cup.”
On how important his religion is to him, the Crystal Palace centre-back added: “We have a lot of Christians in this team and I said when we have a lot of Christians, normally Christianity is a big family.
“I said before games we come and we put this game into the hands of God and we pray together. We have done this since the first games I’m here. I think a lot of guys wanted it but didn’t know how to do it. I said let’s do it and now it’s normal.”
“I’m more like the pastor of this team. I speak a lot about Jesus, about God. I love God. I know a lot about the Bible, about Jesus and I try to give what I know, the knowledge about the words, because sometimes it’s difficult to understand. I try my best to spread the word.”
