Liverpool continue to be linked with a number of centre-backs after seeing a move for Marc Guehi blocked back in the summer
Liverpool could head into 2026 with just one available senior centre-back because of injury and possible suspension. The Reds are already without Giovanni Leoni for the entire campaign after he underwent surgery on the ACL injury he suffered on his debut back in September.
Meanwhile, Arne Slot is also currently unable to call upon the services of Joe Gomez after he suffered a hamstring injury in the victory over Brighton & Hove Albion earlier this month.
Fortunately for Liverpool, his absence is not long-term with captain Virgil van Dijk sharing his hope that his fellow defender would soon make a return.
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Gomez has missed the Reds’ victories over Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers over the past fortnight, with it remaining to be seen if he will be fit in time to return to face either Leeds United or Fulham this week.
But if he remains sidelined, Liverpool run the risk of travelling to Craven Cottage with Virgil van Dijk as their only available senior centre-back.
That’s because Ibrahima Konate is just one yellow card away from having to serve a one-match suspension, after he was issued with his fourth caution of the Premier League campaign last time out against Wolves.
Should the France international be booked against Leeds, he will have to sit out the trip to Fulham as a result. However, come through the clash with the Whites unscathed and he will stave off the potential threat of suspension with the amnesty then changing to a two-match ban for reaching 10 bookings inside 32 games after the midway point in the season.
Should Liverpool be left with only Van Dijk available to face Fulham, Slot will have to be creative. Ryan Gravenberch and Andy Robertson could both act as makeshift solutions, but fellow alternative Wataru Endo is also sidelined with an ankle injury.
Meanwhile, Wellity Lucky would offer a more natural alternative from the academy, having been named on the bench for the Reds’ last four games. Likewise, Slot could also turn to the likes of Rhys Williams, Amara Nallo or Carter Pinnington if really required.
Fortunately, such a dilemma is only hypothetical – for now at least. But it reiterates the tightrope Liverpool have been walking throughout the first half of the season since losing Leoni to injury back in September.
Of course, they would have avoided such a headache altogether if they had had their way back in the summer, having seen a £35m move for Marc Guehi blocked by Crystal Palace at the 11th hour on transfer deadline day.
The Reds remain interested in the England international, who is out of contract at the end of the season and set to depart Selhurst Park on a Bosman transfer.
But they are not the only side pursuing his signature, with the current expectation being that Guehi will see out his current deal rather than move on mid-season when the transfer window re-opens.
That has not stopped Liverpool from being urged to make a fresh move for the 25-year-old. Reds legend John Aldridge insisted that signing Guehi in January is a must for his former club in his latest weekly ECHO column.
The England international is not the only centre-back that Liverpool find themselves linked to though.
The Daily Mail reports that Guehi’s Palace team-mate, Maxence Lacroix, has been discussed in the past by the Reds, while Joel Ordonez of Club Brugge, Oscar Mingueza of Celta Vigo and Brentford’s Nathan Collins have also been linked with possible switches to Anfield.
Given their shortage of centre-back options, as well as the fact that they will inevitably need to strengthen at the heart of defence in 2026, such speculation is only going to increase.
After all, Van Dijk is set to turn 35 next summer and enter the final year of his contract while Gomez, who would have likely left last summer had Liverpool signed Guehi, will also have one year left on his current deal.
Meanwhile, Konate’s current deal is set to expire at the end of the current campaign with uncertainty around his own future continuing as a result.
Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock would love to see the Reds re-visit their interest in Guehi to bolster their defensive ranks. But he would also be just as happy if his old club moved for Lacroix instead.
“I think Marc Guehi would be a really good replacement,” he told Aceodds. “What you get from him is leadership and a player who has played on an international level.
“He has constantly been an outstanding player for England whenever he has been called up. He is very comfortable on the ball.
“He is not the tallest, but he uses his physicality to outweigh the lack of height. The way he reads the game is outstanding.
“I actually like Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace as well. I think he is a sensational player.
“What he has is an immense pace and what that allows you to do is to go man for man with van Dijk and Lacroix at the back. He has the physicality as well.
“I think if they were to sign either Guehi or Lacroix, they would be very happy with either choice. They are both brilliant defenders.”
While Guehi is out of contract next summer and already confirmed to be leaving Crystal Palace next yearLacroix’s own deal does not expire until 2029.
Meanwhile, while Liverpool have space to add Guehi to their current ranks, having not filled their homegrown quota in either their Premier League or Champions League squads, they would have to drop a currently selected non-homegrown player if they wished to sign and include any non-qualifying player over the age of 21 in January.
