Liverpool may have to make a transfer they really don’t want to. It’s the only way to land the star they’re chasing.

Liverpool lost out on Marc Guehi right at the end of the summer transfer window. It was a ridiculous situation, in truth, as the defender did just about everything he needed to ahead of the deal.

He’d agreed on terms, passed a medical – all was sorted. Crystal Palace, however, decided at the last moment that they couldn’t afford to push forward on a transfer.

They now risk losing their captain for free, with Guehi’s contract set to expire at the end of the season. There is essentially zero chance of him signing a new one, putting Palace in a difficult position.

Still, they felt they couldn’t go into this season without an adequate replacement. Eyes now turn to the January transfer window, where things could change.

It will be Palace’s final opportunity to land a fee for Guehi, while they’ll have plenty of time to try and secure that replacement. However, non-English clubs will be able to offer the defender a pre-contract, while any sale would now be for just five months of football, rather than a full season.

All signs point to Liverpool still wanting Guehi. Ibrahima Konaté is in a similar contract situation, after all, and would need replacing for next season.

There’s essentially no better option to do that than Guehi. But Liverpool face dramatically increased competition to get it done.

After all, teams now don’t need to pay a fee in order to secure Guehi. They can talk to him in January and arrange a deal in advance – non-English teams, anyway.

And TeamTalk believes that will force Liverpool’s hand. The likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid are free to discuss terms with Guehi from January 1st. They can then turn those talks into a potential January move, if they wished.