Liverpool set to ditch English-Ivorian defender Marc Guehi as top target ahead of January window

Premier League giants Liverpool are set to ditch England international of Ivory Coast descent, Marc Guehi as top target ahead of the January transfer window.

The highly-rated centre-back had undergone a successful medical to join Liverpool, only for Crystal Palace to block the move.

Liverpool submitted a 35 million pounds offer to capture Guehi, but Palace were reluctant to sanction a move for the defender after failing to land a replacement on transfer deadline day.

With his current contract expiring in summer 2026, the Premier League club now risk losing Guehi for free next summer, with several clubs including Real Madrid and Barcelona expressing interest.

Ahead of the winter window, Liverpool have reportedly made a surprise shift in their January transfer plans, with Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi no longer their leading target for the centre-back position.

Out of contract next summer, Liverpool were expected to move against for Guehi during January following a serious injury to young Italian centre-back Giovanni Leoni, but it appears they have changed their minds amid potential competition from Real Madrid, Tottenham and Chelsea.

Currently, Liverpool have shifted their attention to Guehi’s team-mate Maxence Lacroix as they seeks to land him in the January window.

Liverpool view the 25-year-old Lacroix as an unsung hero amid Palace’s 18-match undefeated run.

As the Reds discovered in the summer, getting the London club to part with their leading players is no easy task, and while Lacroix’s Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) is a relatively modest €30 million, there is likely to be significant opposition from within the Selhurst Park outfit.

With the Frenchman under contract until 2029, Palace would appear to hold all of the cards in this deal.