Liverpool have ‘pretty much wrapped up’ Marc Guehi’s transfer despite interest from Real Madrid, according to Bruno Alemany.
The Merseysiders narrowly missed out on signing the Crystal Palace centre-back in the summer transfer window.
This comes amid reports of La Liga interest in the Englishman, with both Real Madrid and Barcelona keeping a close eye on the 25-year-old’s expiring contract (running out in 2026).
Guehi has already made clear his intention to leave the Eagles in 2026.
Marc Guehi ready to complete Anfield transfer
(Photo by Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)
Alemany addressed suggestions that one of La Liga’s giants could beat Arne Slot’s outfit to the signing in question.
“He’s a good player. He seems to me to be a great centre-back who has been a starter for some time with the English national team,” the journalist spoke on Sique Rodríguez’s El Bar show on YouTube.
“He plays on the left, although he’s not left-footed; he handles his left foot well, too.
“I think it would be a fantastic signing, but I think Liverpool have it pretty much wrapped up, to be honest.”
This very much tracks with prior reporting on the subject, with Lewis Steele’s Spanish sources already of the mind earlier in November that Guehi had given his word to the Premier League champions.
The appeal, of course, is obvious for a club like Real Madrid, which has, of late, prioritised free (or mostly free) transfers to bolster its defence.
Real Madrid defensive signings
Fee paid
Dean Huijsen
£50m (release clause)
Alvaro Carreras
£43m
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Free transfer (with £8.8m fee to expedite move)
Fran Garcia
£4.4m
Antonio Rudiger
Free transfer
David Alaba
Free transfer
* Real Madrid defensive transfers since the 2021 summer window (via Transfermarkt)
Alemany went on to add: “Real Madrid were also interested. Yes, I’ve read some information that they were also waiting because there was some doubt.
“He’s one of those centre-backs who’s on the shortlist of big clubs to reinforce the position without paying a transfer fee.”
You can catch the full discussion on Marc Guehi’s transfer future below, courtesy of AS:
Why beating Real Madrid and Barcelona to Guehi transfer matters
Getting Marc Guehi’s transfer all but signed, sealed and delivered – for either the January or summer transfer window – offers Liverpool a significant advantage.
We know two things already:
Ibrahima Konate is currently likely to run down his contract (expiring next summer), leaving the Reds with three senior centre-backs
Liverpool need to sign a long-term successor for Virgil van Dijk (and potentially a replacement for his French centre-half partner)
(Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
A third, additional concern, that’s worth bearing in mind, is that we don’t yet know in what condition Giovanni Leoni will be after recovering from a torn ACL.
The worst-case scenario for sporting director Richard Hughes is Liverpool possibly needing as many as three new centre-backs to address all concerns (and that’s assuming Joe Gomez doesn’t seek pastures new).
That’s a lot of work for the club to get through in the summer window. And, really, you don’t want anything distracting you whilst facing the unenviable task of finding the future leader of our backline.
So, landing Guehi would leave Liverpool’s recruitment team with potentially two-thirds (or half) of the work remaining.
How strong is Barcelona and Manchester United’s interest?
The Daily Mail reported on Tuesday that Manchester United will be watching this developing transfer story ‘with interest’ – owing to the England international’s expiring contract.
Barcelona and Bayern Munich have likewise been attributed with interest, with the former understood to be closely monitoring the situation (Cadena SER).
The threat of these two powerhouses of European football can’t be discounted. However, with the greatest of respect to Ruben Amorim’s men, it’s difficult to imagine Marc Guehi jumping at the chance to switch to Old Trafford if he’s indeed already passed up on a move to Real Madrid.
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