Liverpool transfer news: Marc Guehi January window update as Arne Slot misses out on Crystal Palace centre-back

Liverpool retain their interest in Marc Guehi, but it is unclear if they will make a move for the defender in the January transfer window, Reds expert David Lynch has claimed.

Crystal Palace had agreed a deal to sell Guehi to Liverpool on transfer deadline day, but a switch to Anfield ultimately failed to materialise on Monday.

The centre-back only has a year left on his contract and could leave for free at the end of the season, though speculation is rife that the Merseysiders may make a move for him in January.

Speaking to Sports Mole, while Lynch insisted that a January deal would be relatively easy to agree, a transfer to Anfield in the winter is by no means guaranteed, saying: "These things are tough to call. You speak to anyone at Liverpool, they will tell you that they are big fans of the player, they really like him.

"They wanted to get this deal done, so there's disappointment, but nobody can make any promises about what's going to happen next because it's unbelievable how quickly things change in football. It might seem like a no-brainer to get the deal done for January, but maybe [they wait until] the summer to get him for free.

"They still really like Guehi and there's hope there that he might be available for cheap in January, but I would not like to make any promises about that other than say that Liverpool do like him. Football is very unpredictable and things change very quickly. It's difficult at this moment to make promises about what might happen."

Liverpool had agreed to pay £35m for Guehi, but considering he would have six months left on his deal January, any negotiated fee in the winter would almost certainly be substantially lower.

Liverpool's defence assessed: Is Arne Slot short at back?

The Reds did bring in Giovanni Leoni from Parma in the summer, but there are question marks about whether the 18-year-old can play a significant role this season.

Boss Arne Slot can call upon captain Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez in central defence, but the latter two have suffered a number of injury issues in the past.

Despite some concerns amongst the fanbase, Lynch does not believe that Liverpool are short of centre-back options, telling Sports Mole: "I don't think they're short at the back. I've been banging the drum for a long time that I don't think they should be carrying five centre-halves.

"Liverpool wanted to sign Marc Guehi, but they were willing to let Joe Gomez go if they did sign him. The club want four centre-halves, that's how they've approached this. They've also got two [options in both] full-backs spots as well, so they're absolutely covered there.

"The one question mark you could have is Joe Gomez, Konate getting an injury, but those concerns have existed for a while. If they think Joe Gomez is too injury prone, then they had to sell him. It's not a debate about whether we should have five centre-backs."

Gomez remained on Merseyside past the deadline despite interest from AC Milan, suggesting that Slot and the backroom staff have faith in his ability to contribute to a season in which the club are competing on all fronts.

Could Liverpool move on from Marc Guehi transfer?

While many have assumed that Liverpool will renew their efforts to bring Guehi to Anfield in either the winter or summer of 2026, the club have in the past moved on from targets.

The Reds had agreed a deal with Real Sociedad to sign Martin Zubimendi in the summer of 2024, but the Spaniard opted to stay in Spain for a further season, and the midfielder's decision forced Slot to use Ryan Gravenberch as his number six.

Gravenberch has since established himself as one of the league's best holding midfielders, and Lynch used him as reason to not take Guehi's signing for granted, when he told Sports Mole: "The best example I can give is Liverpool tried their best to sign Zubimendi and failed to do so but ended up stumbling upon Ryan Gravenberch.

"If you asked Arne Slot to swap those two players, he wouldn't, and the performance when they played each other at Anfield underlined that in terms of Gravenberch's quality and how far he's come on.

"Nobody saw that coming with Gravenberch, so things can happen. Players can develop quicker than expected and another signing could come up where Liverpool think it's a better opportunity for them. You can't guarantee anything, though that's not me ruling Guehi out by any means."

Liverpool signed centre-back Leoni from Parma this summer, and the 18-year-old could surprise Slot and establish himself as a first-team regular, though another defensive target could become available for purchase in the coming windows.

> Click here to listen to the full discussion on whether Liverpool will sign Marc Guehi in the January transfer window