Liverpool to make move for Marc Guehi after agreeing Jarell Quansah sale

Liverpool are expected to make a significant offer for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guéhi, having moved swiftly to raise funds with the sale of Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen.There had been no formal offer yet for Guéhi, 24, but it now looks like Liverpool are in the best position to do a deal from among those who want to sign the England international. He will be sold by Palace this summer with just a single year left on his contract and no prospect of a renewal. The club turned down an offer of £55 million, with £15 million in add-ons, from Tottenham Hotspur in January.Now arguably the leading English centre-back in the game, Guéhi is regarded as that rare breed: a very aggressive defender who senses danger and is also comfortable in possession. He has been a long-term target for Newcastle United, who tried to do a deal for him last summer and in January. Chelsea, Guéhi’s former club, have also been interested.Palace have always been confident that Guéhi would fetch a major fee with just one year left on his deal and their projection appears to be right. He was part of the team who won a historic first trophy for Palace – the FA Cup – this season.The Quansah deal has been agreed with player and club, and represents value to Bayer Leverkusen, who hope that the £30 million they are spending on the academy graduate will be covered if his development continues as they expect. The 22-year-old is expected to sign a five-year contract.Quansah has been a regular in junior England teams throughout his development up to the under-21s, whom he is playing for at the European Championship in Slovakia. He was also selected in Thomas Tuchel’s first senior squad. Quansah was part of Sir Gareth Southgate’s provisional Euro 2024 squad, but was left out of the final 26.Talks between Liverpool and Leverkusen are unrelated to the £116 million transfer of Florian Wirtz, which should be ratified in the next 24 hours. Wirtz is heading to Merseyside to conclude the formalities of his record-breaking move.Liverpool are reluctant to sell Quansah, but have to manage trading budgets. They rewarded Quansah with a long-term contract last season, but despite his potential he has not yet established himself as first choice alongside Virgil van Dijk. However, he was a crucial member of Liverpool’s Premier League-winning squad, putting his career on an upward trajectory.The academy product broke into the side in the 2023-24 season, winning the Carabao Cup, and was regarded as one of several emerging young England defenders. He started last season under Arne Slot but swiftly dropped below Ibrahima Konaté in the pecking order.There have been several approaches for him over the past 12 months, most notably when Newcastle United asked for him to be included in a possible player-plus cash deal for Anthony Gordon a year ago.Liverpool’s refusal to agree to that proposal affirmed at the time how highly they rated Quansah. In what is turning into an aggressive summer window for Liverpool, after they made no material changes 12 months ago, sporting director Richard Hughes also hopes to strike a deal for Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez – the second time he has signed the player.