Liverpool have been cautioned that signing long-term transfer target Marc Guehi could prove costly
Liverpool have been warned that signing Marc Guehi next year won’t come cheap, with major wage demands and a hefty signing-on fee expected. The Crystal Palace centre-back came close to joining the Reds on summer transfer deadline day before the deal collapsed at the last minute, despite a £35million agreement being reached.
Liverpool have been consistently linked with a move for Guehi in January, along with several other Premier League clubs and teams abroad. However, BBC Sport claim the 25-year-old is expected to remain at Palace for the rest of the season and see out the last six months of his contract.
With Guehi set to become available for free in the summer, several of Europe’s top clubs are said to be interested in acquiring his services. Former Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster has now suggested the England star is likely to command wages of up to £300,000 per week and a huge signing-on fee of £30m, potentially testing Liverpool’s willingness to splash out on recruiting him.
READ MORE: Marc Guehi transfer stance made clear after Arne Slot offers Liverpool hintREAD MORE: Liverpool handed Marc Guehi transfer timeline as decision reached over move
Speaking on the Fozcast podcast, the ex-Watford and Wrexham shot-stopper said: “Marc Guehi could go to anybody in the world. If he lets his contract run down to the summer, he can sign for whoever he wants.
“At that point there he gets to say, ‘I want £250,000 a week’ or ‘I want £300,000,’ because if he gets four, five or six teams sniffing at him and wanting him, he’ll get it as well. The amount of money this guy’s about to earn is honestly outrageous.
“With the signing on fee, you haven’t got to pay £40m or £50m for a player like Marc Guehi, instead of that, you can say, ‘Give me a signing on fee of £30m and we’ll call it quits.’ It’s crazy money.”
Palace boss Oliver Glasner has already said he expects Guehi to leave the club on a free transfer after disclosing that the player has no plans to renew his contract.
Speaking in October, the Eagles manager said: “I think Marc has already told us that he doesn’t sign a new contract, so he will leave next year. The club wanted him to stay.
“They offered Marc a new contract. But he said, ‘No, I want to make something different.’ And that’s normal. And for us, it’s how we can deal with this situation? (What) is the best way to get this next step done? And that’s all about how we are talking together.”
According to reports in Spain, Barcelona held discussions with Guehi’s representatives but were put off due to the financial implications involved in signing him. Meanwhile, Liverpool boss Arne Slot has previously kept his cards close to his chest on whether he will make any additions in January after admitting the Reds won’t have endless amounts of money to spend.
He said: “Some teams have so many (options) but most other teams do not. This is our way of working at Liverpool. The outside world wants to believe we have unlimited money, but that is not true.
“You insiders know – and you are the only ones because the outside world only talks about our spending – what we have brought in (money) to spend.
“That is the way we work over here. You then have to accept that in certain games during a season you are short of a right full-back. But we are still able to win. I fully believe in that way of working, by the way.”
