Liverpool hijack ‘talks’ have ‘already taken place’ as Euro giants look to beat them to Marc Guehi

Liverpool are facing serious competition from Bayern Munich over the signing of Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, according to journalist Florian Plettenberg.

The Reds spent £446m on new signings over the summer transfer window with eight new players joining Arne Slot’s squad.

However, so far those players have caused Slot a lot of selection headaches with the Dutchman finding his title-winning side of last season much easier to pick.

One player Liverpool missed out on signing was Crystal Palace defender Guehi with the Eagles pulling out of a £35m deal while he was completing a medical.

The Reds are expected to either attempt to sign Guehi again in January, which could be needed with Giovanni Leoni picking up a serious injury, or wait until the summer to sign him on a free transfer.

Their odds of signing him have fallen since the summer with other clubs taking notice and Plettenberg has revealed that Bayern Munich’s interest in the Liverpool target is now ‘concrete’.

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Plettenberg wrote on X: ‘FC Bayern are already looking concretely at Marc Guehi. Max Eberl is a big admirer, and initial talks with the player’s representatives have already taken place.

‘Bayern are interested in a free transfer in 2026, but that depends on what happens with Upamecano/Kim.

‘There is competition: Liverpool and Barcelona are seriously involved, and Real Madrid are also in the race.’

The Athletic’s David Ornstein reckons it is more likely that Guehi leaves on a free transfer in the summer with Crystal Palace going so well in the Premier League.

Ornstein told NBC Sports: “They tried for Marc Guehi. It collapsed on deadline day and I think Liverpool would go back in for him in the summer of 2026. I’m not expecting him to leave Crystal Palace in January. Actually, I’m not expecting Liverpool to go for a centre back in January as things stand.

“Of course, these things could change, but I don’t think it’s a plan.”

On the competition for Guehi’s signature, Ornstein added: “They [Liverpool] won’t have a clear run at Guehi, because there’s going to be competition perhaps from the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester City.”

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Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher said back in September that he thinks the Reds may live to regret not sealing a deal for Guehi earlier in the summer.

Carragher said: “There was a report from a couple of journalists, who are basically the best journalists on the beat, they did a story a couple of days ago saying that Liverpool would wait until next season to get him on a free, they wouldn’t go in January.

“So what I’m saying is they wouldn’t write that unless they felt it was true.

“I think they will try and bring him in again. Listen, I am sure there’s been a lot of talk between him (Guehi) and the agent and the top people at Liverpool and they have pulled the plug at the last minute and they say: ‘Listen, we’re still in for you…’

“But it sounds like it’ll be more at the end of the season than January. Maybe (the fee) was £10m but they are like, ‘No, we want you on a free.'”

Carragher added: “Liverpool always do what they see in their eyes as value for money.

“Might they regret that? Oh yeah, I think there’s one situation with Liverpool, that’s the one area… listen, they are three games in, nine points from nine, and probably not played that well, so we would probably all say they are big favorites, Liverpool.

“But that is the one area where that could come back and blow up in their face because they haven’t really got that (cover).

“What Guehi was getting was giving Liverpool competition at centre-back. They haven’t really got that. They’ve got two starters and two understudies.

“Joe Gomez, injury-prone himself, and the young lad from Italy (Giovanni Leoni), he is going to be a great prospect, but if you think if one of them had to play for a couple of months, it is a big difference.”

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