Former Liverpool midfielder turned pundit Danny Murphy believes the Reds should make a move for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi this summer .
The 24-year-old was arguably England's player of the tournament at the European Championships this summer, starring in the absence of Harry Maguire who missed out due to injury. Guehi played every minute of England's campaign bar their quarter-final penalty triumph over Switzerland, which he missed due to suspension.
While he has since returned to Palace for pre-season training, Newcastle United is pursuing Guehi, having made the defender one of their priority targets this summer. The Magpies are currently in talks with Palace over the centre-back, who is reportedly available for $76 million (£60m/€70m).
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And in news that will likely buoy Newcastle supporters, Guehi, who has previously spoken warmly about St James' Park, is said to be keen on making the move to Tyneside. There is no doubt that signing the England international would represent a significant coup for the Magpies, who just a month ago were scrambling to comply with the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules.
However, they now look to be the front runners for Guehi, who had previously been linked with a move to Liverpool. The Reds have made Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi their primary target this summer. But, speaking on talkSPORT, former Liverpool star Danny Murphy believes the Reds should also be in for Guehi too.
"I wouldn’t be surprised if they nick on this deal for Guehi," Murphy said . "Matip’s gone, Gomez is looking like he wants to leave to get regular football and that only leaves three centre-halves with Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk and Jarell Quansah. If Liverpool want to be winning Champions League and Premier League again, I think they might come in for Guehi."
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The reality is even if Liverpool do rate Guehi, they need reinforcements in midfield much more than they do a centre-back. The Reds will go into the new season with four first team centre-backs in the form of Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez and Jarell Quansah - making defensive reinforcements unlikely this summer.
There are questions surrounding the quartet however. Van Dijk has just one year left on his deal at Anfield and is out of contract next summer. Konate has struggled with injuries at times during his Liverpool career, Gomez is reportedly open to leaving Liverpool so he can play centre-back regularly instead of having to fill-in from time to time at full-back and Quansah is still only 21.
Liverpool.com says: "Liverpool's priority right now looks to be signing a defensive midfielder, a position they have been trying to fill for over a year now. The Reds believe they have found their man in Martin Zubimendi with the Spaniard's signature set to cost Liverpool $63.4m (£51.7m/€60m).
"Newcastle are in a stronger financial position to pursue Guehi than Liverpool. That is not to say Liverpool couldn't compete if they wanted to do with the Magpies, but rather that the Reds would likely have to pay a significant portion of $76m for Guehi upfront, alongside the $63.4m they need to pay to buy out Zubimendi's release fee clause from Real Sociedad."
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