The perfect Liverpool & Crystal Palace swap deal which could turbocharge both sides chances of success - opinion
Liverpool could offer an out-of-favour star to Crystal Palace to help secure the signing of Marc Guehi
Crystal Palace centre back Marc Guehi remains high on Liverpool’s list of transfer targets as they continue to bolster their defensive options heading into the new season.
Fabrizio Romano reports that a new round of talks will take place this week between the Premier League holders and the south London side as Liverpool strive to reach an agreement to land one of the most coveted defenders in English football.
Palace have had to fight to keep Guehi at the club for over 12 months now. They rejected numerous bids from Newcastle United in the summer of 2024 and even turned down a reported £70m offer from Tottenham Hotspur during the winter window.
Their reward proved to be a first major trophy in the club’s history as captain Guehi played a decisive role in helping the Eagles to a clean-sheet and a shock 1-0 win over Manchester City.
But with just a year remaining on Guehi’s contract and no strong show of desire from the 24-year-old to extend his stay, it’s suspected that Palace may be forced to cash in on the former Chelsea man this summer to avoid losing one of their prized assets on a free in just 12 months time.
Why Liverpool are so desperate to sign Marc Guehi
Marc Guehi is regarded as one of the finest central defenders in the Premier League and has played a pivotal role in helping Crystal Palace to qualify for the Europa League for the first time in their history.
At 24-years-of-age, he’s a player at the peak of his powers and arguably England’s strongest centre back option heading into the 2026 World Cup in less than a year's time.
Guehi is strong, reads the game well, an excellent leader and someone that has proven he can nullify some of the world’s best attackers. He’s also blessed with great speed, athleticism and is excellent in possession with a great eye for a pass.
He’s seen as someone that could be a great defensive partner for Virgil van Dijk amid uncertainty surrounding the future of Frenchman Ibrahima Konate, who also has just 12 months to run on his contract.
Meanwhile, on a long-term replacement, he could also prove to be a potential successor to the Dutchman van Dijk, who will be nearly 36 by the time his current contract runs out in the summer of 2026.
The perfect swap deal Liverpool and Crystal Palace could look to strike
Liverpool are currently in the middle of a makeover at the heart of their defence with the signings of Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong in the full-back areas. While they’ve already revolutionised an already impressive midfield with the £116m British-record signing of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen. The German international is expected to be a near ever present in the starting line-up which only adds a further barrier in Harvey Elliott’s hopes of being a regular starter after a frustrating club campaign which saw him start just two league matches.
Elliott has firmly put himself on the map with a sublime European Championships at Under-21 level which saw him win the tournament for the second time in a row while scoring five in six matches, including a key strike in the final against Germany and a brace in the semi-final against Netherlands.
The 22-year-old thrived as both a right-sided winger and as a central attacking midfielder on occasion, proving he has the qualities to blossom into a real star when given ample opportunity. However, despite his showing in the tournament, it’s hard to see Elliott getting a real chance to shine in this existing Arne Slot team unless he moves on to pastures new.
As it stands, the likes of Wolves and Brighton are showing real interest in signing the youngster for a reported £30m - £40m but it could perhaps make more sense for Liverpool if they were to use him as a makeweight in the Guehi deal.
Over the course of the last three transfer windows, Palace have shown a reluctance to sell Guehi to any potential suitors with club chairman Steve Parish saying back in August 2024: “We’d like to keep hold of him. There’s a price and a situation where we might consider it," Parish told BBC Sport.
“Somebody [in another interview] said he’s a superstar, so somebody has got to pay superstar money.
“Realistically, homegrown, 24 years old, sensational talent, somebody has to make it difficult for us. At the moment it isn’t. He’ll still be at Crystal Palace at the moment, but it’s not impossible.
“He is certainly not making anybody’s life difficult, his agents are decent people. It’s a very good situation. Whether he is here or not will make no difference to how he performs.”
At the moment, Liverpool have not yet agreed a figure for Guehi although it’s suspected he wants to move to Anfield. Meanwhile, Elliott is a player that would arguably be tailor made for Crystal Palace, a club which has a reputation for developing young talents and allowing them to blossom into real stars.
They proved this when they bought Guehi from Chelsea, back when he was one just many young defenders on the books from Chelsea, while they’ve also catapulted the careers of Michael Olise (now of Bayern Munich), Eberechi Eze, Adam Wharton, Dean Henderson and Jean Philippe-Mateta among others.
Playing at Selhurst Park could also appeal to Elliott due to the fact that they play in London near in reasonably close radius to where the Chertsey-born footballer grew up, while also offering him possible European football in the form of the Europa League which neither Brighton or Wolves could offer.
Elliott would also be playing for one of the most underrated managers in the Premier League in Glasner, who has already previously won the Europa League with Frankfurt while transforming the fortunes of a Palace side which looked to be stagnating in Roy Hodgson’s second stint in charge.
Realistically offering Elliott, worth approximately £40m, should heavily reduce the fee required to sign Guehi, while giving Liverpool an advantage over other potential suitors such as Newcastle. A straight swap may even be viewed as a fair trade by both clubs.