The running of Liverpool has been hailed by a leading football finance expert as the Reds ponder whether to strengthen their this month
Liverpool have been urged to take a leaf out of Real Madrid’s book to land a cut-price deal for Marc Guehi this month. The Crystal Palace defender remains on the Reds’ wishlist after his proposed move to Anfield collapsed at the end of the summer transfer window.
However, with his Eagles contract expiring in a few months, Liverpool could face fierce competition for his signature in the summer. A transfer this month – Palace’s final chance to secure a transfer fee for the England defender – has been mooted.
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire believes the Reds could test the water with a £20million bid, citing Real’s early purchase of Trent Alexander-Arnold, which saw them pay the Reds £10m shortly before his contract’s expiry date, allowing him to play at the Club World Cup.
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Maguire said: “Everybody’s looking at centre-half, given that they thought that they’d signed Guehi in the summer and then that deal collapsed at the last minute.
“So could they sign him now in a bid not dissimilar to the situation that we saw with Trent Alexander-Arnold? He went to Real Madrid with four weeks of the transfer window before his contract ran out, but that qualified him for the Club World Cup.
“So they got £10m there. Could Palace get £20m for Guehi in January? Certainly they could. Liverpool are in a prime position to sign him because they’re an attractive proposition.”
Despite last summer’s spending spree, Maguire says “spectacularly well-run” Liverpool don’t need to worry about breaching PSR. He said: “That gives them the benefit. They’ve never been in danger (of breaching spending rules).
“They’re only paying £63 in wages for every £100 that comes through the door. So again, that gives them plenty of headroom.”
He added: “Yes, they had a spectacular summer of 2025, but if you take a look at their losses in the two previous years, they were never in danger of breaching PSR.
“So that’s given them the capacity to spend. And remember, if you sign a player, the cost of the signing is spread over the contract. It’s spread over five years for example.
“So if you sign a £50m player in January, six months of that will go into your account. So it’s going to cost you £5m. Now £5m, you get £3.5m per place in the Premier League.
“The important thing, again from Liverpool’s point of view, and they seem to have turned the corner in terms of what’s happening on the pitch, is to finish in the top five positions and get that participation.
“So yes, they have spent money by their standards significantly in the summer of 2025. But they can still spend in January, should there be particular positions that they need.”
Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle for the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games this season, an increase of up to 100 more.
