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Topics: Liverpool, Barcelona, Premier League, La Liga, Liverpool Transfer News & Rumours
Jack Kenmare
Topics: Liverpool, Barcelona, Premier League, La Liga, Liverpool Transfer News & Rumours
Liverpool's failure to sign one of their top summer targets could prove costly after it emerged that Barcelona are mounting a 'huge charm offensive' to get a deal over the line.
The Reds spent a record £446 million on transfers this summer, with Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Giovanni Leoni, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerke and Alexander Isak walking through the doors at Anfield.
It was a busy deadline day for those behind the scenes at Liverpool as they wrapped up a British record deal for Isak.
But they failed in their bid to sign long-term target Marc Guehi, who was on the verge of joining the Premier League champions from Crystal Palace in a deal worth £35 million plus a 10 per cent sell-on clause.
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However, Palace pulled the plug on a deal after Oliver Glasner threatened to walk away if Guehi was sold, according to talkSPORT.
It was widely reported at the time that Palace had refused to sanction the transfer as they struggled to find a replacement for the England international, with target Igor Julio opting to join West Ham.
Three months after a deal to Liverpool collapsed and Guehi is being chased by Barcelona.
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The Spanish club have made two formal approaches to Guehi’s representatives in the past fortnight, according to Team Talk, with the defender being viewed as a potentially "shrewd, cost-effective addition" to their squad.
It is said that a bid in January is "not out of the question", although their own financial issues will limit any offer to around £17 million.
The news comes after Barcelona's sporting director, Deco, mentioned Guehi during an interview with Spanish radio station SER Catalunya.
Deco described the centre-back as a "good player" as he spoke about Barcelona's approach to transfers. “We have identified a lot of players [as potential options]," he added. "We’re content to have a young squad, with players from La Masia, [which] allows us to be more calm.”
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Barcelona's charm offensive, meanwhile, includes the allure of Champions League football and a starring role at the heart of their defence alongside Paul Cubarsi.
After the club failed to sign two centre-backs in the summer, Palace chairman Steve Parish spoke about the situation involving Guehi.
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“It's a difficult decision," he told talkSPORT as he touched on keeping Guehi at Selhurst Park following months of speculation. “It's as simple as that. These things are never black and white.
“I decided in the end that, based on the advice that I got and with what I think, that we would have a better season if we kept Marc.
“We don't guess about these things. If you look at it rationally, if you look at what is worth the place in the Premier League, the fact that we're in the Conference League for the first time in our history, this is a fairly unusual set of circumstances in which to keep a player.
“If we were fighting between the difference of 10th and 14th, if that was going to be the difference between keeping Marc and letting Marc go, then probably we would have said right, 'We should take the money.'”