Liverpool warned Marc Guehi transfer could be more expensive than it thinks amid $41M demand

Liverpool continues to be linked with a move for Marc Guehi after missing out on the defender in the summer, although the Reds have been warned another move could be expensive

Marc Guehi almost joined Liverpool in the summer transfer window(Image: Photo by Sebastian Frej/Getty Images)

Liverpool has been cautioned that securing Marc Guehi's signature next year will require deep pockets, with substantial wage demands and a significant signing-on fee anticipated.

The Crystal Palace center-half nearly joined the Reds on summer transfer deadline day before the deal fell through at the eleventh hour, despite a £35 million ($47M) fee being agreed.

Liverpool has been repeatedly linked with a January move for Guehi, alongside numerous other Premier League sides and European clubs. However, BBC Sport reports the 25-year-old is expected to stay at Palace for the remainder of the campaign and run down the final six months of his deal.

With Guehi poised to become a free agent in the summer, a host of Europe's elite clubs are reportedly keen on snapping him up. Former Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster has now suggested the England international is likely to demand wages of around £300,000 ($405,000) per week and a substantial signing-on fee of £30M ($41M), potentially testing Liverpool's appetite to spend big on bringing him in, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Speaking on the Fozcast podcast, the former Watford and Wrexham shot-stopper said: "Marc Guehi could go to anybody in the world. If he lets his contract run down to the summer, he can sign for whoever he wants.

Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi was close to completing a move to Liverpool in the summer(Image: Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

"At that point there he gets to say, 'I want £250,000 a week' or 'I want £300,000,' because if he gets four, five or six teams sniffing at him and wanting him, he'll get it as well. The amount of money this guy's about to earn is honestly outrageous.

"With the signing on fee, you haven't got to pay £40m or £50m for a player like Marc Guehi, instead of that, you can say, 'Give me a signing on fee of £30m and we'll call it quits.' It's crazy money."

Palace manager Oliver Glasner has already indicated he anticipates Guehi departing the club on a free transfer after revealing the player has declined to extend his contract.

Speaking in October, the Eagles boss said: "I think Marc has already told us that he doesn't sign a new contract, so he will leave next year. The club wanted him to stay.

"They offered Marc a new contract. But he said, 'No, I want to make something different.' And that's normal. And for us, it's how we can deal with this situation? [What] is the best way to get this next step done? And that's all about how we are talking together."

According to reports from Spain, Barcelona held talks with Guehi's representatives but were deterred by the substantial financial commitment required to secure his signature. Meanwhile, Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has previously remained tight-lipped about potential January reinforcements after acknowledging the Reds won't have boundless funds to spend.

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has played down the potential for his side to make January signings(Image: James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)

He said: "Some teams have so many [options] but most other teams do not. This is our way of working at Liverpool. The outside world wants to believe we have unlimited money, but that is not true.

"You insiders know – and you are the only ones because the outside world only talks about our spending – what we have brought in (money) to spend.

"That is the way we work over here. You then have to accept that in certain games during a season you are short of a right full-back. But we are still able to win. I fully believe in that way of working, by the way."