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Liverpool could sign both Giovanni Leoni and Marc Guehi during this transfer window, with the Reds in serious need of defensive reinforcements before the transfer window closes.
Jarell Quansah's move to Bayer Leverkusen at the start of July left Arne Slot with just three senior center-backs in his squad, in Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez.
Liverpool has persistently been linked with a move for Guehi, whose contract at Palace is due to expire next summer, while Leoni, 18, is a relatively new name to most Reds fans after emerging as one of the most promising young defenders in Europe last season.
Addressing Liverpool's pursuit of central defensive reinforcements, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano said: "Liverpool and the situation of Leoni, and the situation of Marc Guehi — Liverpool keeps working on both sides. It's not one or the other one.
"For Leoni, according to my information, Liverpool really like the player, they believe he is a top talent, but at the moment there is no official bid to. buy.
"I think that Liverpool have something more than appreciation for this player. They started thinking about signing him — Leoni and Liverpool is something to keep an eye on.
"Marc Guehi is a different situation. Out of contract next summer. For Palace to lose him on a free would be a disaster, so for all parties to try and do business in these final 20 days is still a possibility.
"I don't think these two (Leoni and Guehi) is something where we necessarily say that one deal is killing the other. We have to see what's going to happen but Liverpool are working on both, seeing what they want to do, considering both opportunities.
"As soon as the financial situation becomes clear, we will see how they will decide to proceed, but Liverpool want to keep going in the market, because the center-back position has been one of the priorities since the start of the window.
"They want to sign a center-back, they will sign a center-back, but we will see what's going to happen, because Guehi and Leoni are not necessarily alternatives [to each other]."
Liverpool's need for a center-back reinforcements was underlined last month as Gomez flew back from the Reds' pre-season tour in Asia due to an Achilles injury.
Gomez has a reputation for being injury-prone, and his 2024-25 campaign was ended at the beginning of February by a hamstring injury he sustained in an FA Cup game against Plymouth.
Irrespective of when Gomez returns, it's clear that Slot cannot hang his hat on Gomez due to his fitness record, and Liverpool obviously cannot afford to go into the new season with Van Dijk and Konate as its only other center-backs.
Gomez did not figure in either of the friendlies against Athletic Club at Anfield last week and he was also absent from the squad for the Community Shield defeat by Crystal Palace, which means Liverpool could go into the Premier League opener against Bournemouth on Friday with just two fit center-backs available.
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