'Frightening' sixth summer signing 'close' as Slot is hailed for 'no brainer' deal

Liverpool are understood to be “close” on an agreement over personal terms to sign Marc Guehi, with a number of journalists and pundits now backing the move to go through, though the Reds have been warned that the England star’s arrival could result in the departure of an Arne Slot favourite.

The Premier League champions may have won the league by 10 clear points in Slot’s first season at the helm, but that has not stopped the Dutchman from attacking the transfer market this summer. With Milos Kerkez’s move now agreed at Liverpool and with an announcement expected imminently, he will join Giorgi Mamardashvili (a deal arranged last summer), Jeremie Frimpong, Armin Pecsi and Florian Wirtz as new Liverpool players.

Despite getting five signings through the door, Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes are far from done and there is a growing belief that they still want two more arrivals before the window closes for business on Monday September 1.

And with time very much on their side, a new defender and a new striker are still very much on their radar.

Their centre-half search appears to have focused on one man: Crystal Palace standout Guehi.

With a year left on his deal, the FA Cup winners have greenlit his exit this summer as long as the price is right.

And while no official bid has yet been lodged, our reporter Rudy Galetti revealed at the weekend that an agreement over personal terms was now close.

Ahead of the posturing around transfer talks, the Daily Mail’s Lewis Steele – one of the first to deliver the news about Wirtz’s move to Anfield – has spoken of his belief that the 23-cap England star will head to Anfield, while Simon Jordan, speaking on talkSPORT, also expects a ‘handshake’ to be ‘close’ between Liverpool and Crystal Palace.

To further cement a belief that a deal is on, former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness expects the “frightening” deal to go through – and feels the capture of the 24-year-old is a “no-brainer” for Slot.

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Speaking about the prospect of the former Chelsea man swapping Selhurst Park for Anfield, Wyness told Football Insider: “It would be a no-brainer for them (Liverpool) if they can get hold of him, and all the noises coming out of the Marc Guehi camp are that he’s keen to go.

“I think it’s a fantastic deal. I think Palace also recognise that I think he’s got just another year left on his contract. So they’d like to cash in as well. All parties could be very happy.

“If you remember the days when Virgil van Dijk came from Southampton, he was a big-money signing at the time, but he’s proven to be a superb buy. He’s done really well. I think he and Guehi, if they can keep fit, would be fantastic.

“I’m frightened to say it, but yes, it’s going to be a good signing for Liverpool and I think it will go through.”

The plan for Slot was that Guehi would effectively replace Jarell Quansah, who has an agreement to join Bayer Leverkusen this summer, in the quest to partner captain Virgil van Dijk in defence.

However, there are growing fears that Ibou Konate could also be sold this summer after a failure to agree terms on a new deal.

While it is important to note the defender has insisted people should not believe all they read about his demands over fresh terms, a report this week has claimed the Frenchman is “disappointed” by the Reds’ latest proposal to him.

Now, football financial advisor Stefan Borson has told Football Insider that he thinks Konate may well depart Anfield this summer and Guehi will arrive as his replacement.

“If Liverpool get the opportunity to sell Konate, they’d be open to it,” Borson said.

“From what I hear, there hasn’t been much progress in his contract talks and they would rather make money on him now rather than let him go for free.

“Liverpool have got a few concerns about Konate because he’s got a mistake in him. They got away with a few last year because of their position so far ahead of everybody else on the table, but that won’t always be that way.

“If they want to win European cups and that sort of thing, they can’t afford that. It’s a hard thing to accept because he is a good player, but they feel they can upgrade on him.

“If they can go out and get a replacement, like Marc Guehi, for example, it’s something they’re going to explore to improve their starting XI. And if teams come in for Konate, they’re going to listen to those offers.

“Ideally, they’d like him to sign a contract, and then they’ll have a decision to make about who is going to start, but if he doesn’t sign, they want to move him on.”

Liverpool transfer latest: Ekitike link ‘serious’; Napoli near Nunez; 11 to leave

Meanwhile, Napoli are reportedly ‘set to land’ Darwin Nunez for €50m and are ‘serious’ about signing a second Reds star as the Anfield exodus quickly gathers pace.

Those two sales could be part of a giant summer clearout on Merseyside and with a number of departures already confirmed, a report this week has named the 11 players in total who will likely be shown the door as Slot takes a ruthless approach with his squad.

And finally, a top journalist insists Liverpool remain ‘seriously interested’ in signing Hugo Ekitike this summer, but have some big hurdles to clear before they can bring the Eintracht Frankfurt wire to Merseyside.

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