Liverpool got Marc Guehi transfer warning four months ago as Man City could make Reds pay

Manchester City could be about to force Liverpool into a position it didn't want to be in with Marc Guehi, but the Reds can't say they weren't warned about a potential transfer rival

Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi(Image: Getty Images)

Liverpool looks as though it could be in danger of missing out on Marc Guehi to one of its biggest rivals — but the Reds can’t say they weren’t warned.

Guehi’s future is, unsurprisingly, a major talking point now that the January transfer window is open. Having been denied a move to Anfield during the summer, the defender is in the final six months of his contract at Crystal Palace.

That is particularly significant given now is the final opportunity for his current club to make any money on a potential transfer before he becomes a free agent, and having previously suggested the 25-year-old will stay for the remainder of the season, Palace boss Oliver Glasner now looks to have changed his tune.

The Austrian has this week indicated that the Eagles would be willing to sell for the right price. You might think that would open the door for Liverpool again, but it’s Manchester City that looks as though it could take advantage.

Pep Guardiola’s side has been linked with a move for Guehi following injuries to defenders Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias, with BBC Sport among those suggesting that a January move could be in the works.

That would be a tough pill for Liverpool fans to swallow, given the Reds looked to have been just moments away from signing Guehi on deadline day during the summer — but it might not come as too big a surprise for some.

Manchester City boss is reportedly interested in a move for Marc Guehi this month(Image: Oli SCARFF / AFP via Getty Images)

Former Reds striker Emile Heskey suggested that City would come knocking for Guehi four months ago, and his prediction might well come true.

"Guehi will be a huge miss [for Liverpool]," Heskey said back in September (via Ace Odds).

"He's arguably one of the best and most composed center-backs in the league. It will be a big miss, but how much more could they have pushed if Palace didn’t want to or have to sell?

"All you can do is put more money on the table, but then you’re moving outside of your scope of what is right for a player who is in his last year. Come January, it will be a different proposition, and there’s no doubt that he wants to come to Liverpool.

"Now there will always be the possibility of a team hijacking the move in January. Especially Chelsea and Manchester City, who can gazump anyone. But Liverpool is an institution and I’m sure they’re fairly confident they can get the deal done."

Liverpool could find itself in a difficult position with Guehi(Image: Getty Images)

As confident as Liverpool might be of getting a deal for Guehi done, City might well be about to put it into a position it doesn’t want to be in.

If the Etihad club is planning on making a move, then that might well force the Reds to strike earlier than they had been planning, considering they might have been eyeing up a free transfer in the summer.

More worrying is that Palace would then be in a position to strike up a bidding war between the two clubs, and then Liverpool would have to weigh up what it views as its limit for Guehi. Either way, it’s a position Heskey and many others no doubt saw coming.