Liverpool 'join race' to sign £75m-rated star as possible Joe Gomez replacement

Liverpool are yet to make a signing so far this summer under new boss Arne Slot but have reportedly joined the race to sign a £75m-rated defender.

Slot has replaced Jurgen Klopp in the Anfield dugout after the German departed Liverpool at the end of last season following almost a decade in charge of the Merseyside outfit.

Dutchman Slot has put pen to paper on a three-year deal after moving from Feyenoord and takes charge of his first competitive game this lunchtime against Ipswich Town at Portman Road - and he has named his first matchday squad for the encounter, with one player in particular being left out of the 20.

Defender Joe Gomez is absent, amid interest from multiple Premier League sides in his services, including the likes of Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Fulham and Chelsea.

Gomez has been at Liverpool since 2015 since his move from Charlton Athletic and is currently the longest serving player in the Anfield squad, though speculation over his future raises the prospect the England international could be on the move, after he was named in the England squad for Euro 2024 over the summer.

Though he is not being forced out of Anfield, it is said Gomez is deciding whether it is in his best interests to move on for regular game-time, with the club and player engaging in 'grown up discussions'.

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And according to reports, Liverpool have now joined the race to sign a replacement for Gomez, should he move on to pastures new.

As per Spanish publication Fichajes, Liverpool have joined Newcastle in the race to land the signature of Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, who was a team-mate of Gomez this summer in the Three Lions squad.

The Selhurst Park club have set a price of £75m for Guehi, who impressed this summer in the heart of defence alongside John Stones as he filled in for the then-injured Harry Maguire.

The Magpies have made multiple bids so far to try and sign Guehi and all have been turned down by Palace, the most recent of these reported to be worth £65m plus add-ons.

Guehi's Palace contract is poised to expire in the summer of 2026, so the London club are not under any immediate pressure to sell the defender.

But with Liverpool now joining the race, a bidding war could now begin for Guehi ahead of the transfer window coming to a conclusion at the end of this month.