'Soon' - Fabrizio Romano confirms Liverpool personal terms agreed as Newcastle United watch on
Liverpool are closing in on a major summer signing - and it’s not Alexander Isak.
Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi, fresh from beating Liverpool in the Community Shield, is reportedly close to joining Liverpool on a cut-price deal.
It comes after Newcastle United saw a club-record £65million proposal for the defender rejected last summer. Eddie Howe made the England defender a top target for The Magpies but a deal was unable to be agreed.
A year on and with Guehi into the final year of his contract at Selhurst Park, Palace are more open to selling the centre-back for a considerably lower fee.
Crystal Palace chairman makes bombshell Marc Guehi claim
Speaking moments after Palace’s Community Shield win over Liverpool, chairman Steve Parish admitted that Guehi could be sold before the September 1 transfer deadline.
"We'd have to do [cash in on Guehi], of course," said Parish when asked about the defender’s future if a new contract is not agreed.
"For players of that calibre to leave on a free, it's a problem for us unfortunately.
“Joachim [Andersen] went [to Fulham last summer] and we couldn't afford to lose both. We then had another bid [for Guehi] in January but that was a different situation.
"We'll just have to see what happens. But, you know, it needs a new contract or a conclusion of some kind."
While Palace are set to lose out on millions in a transfer fee for Guehi, the decision to keep hold of the defender last summer could arguably be justified by the fact he went on to lead the club to FA Cup success. It was Crystal Palace’s first major trophy.
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Fabrizio Romano provides Marc Guehi transfer update as Liverpool agree personal terms
Newcastle’s interest in Guehi cooled this summer as Liverpool entered the race for the defender, whose preference is to make the move to Anfield.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano revealed this week that the 25-year-old has agreed personal terms with Liverpool with a £35million transfer fee under discussion.
Not only is that £30million less than Newcastle’s rejected bid by Palace last summer, but it’s also a similar fee to what The Magpies have just paid to sign Malick Thiaw from AC Milan.
Romano posted on X: “Liverpool have agreed personal terms with Marc Guehi! Negotiations underway with Palace for fee around £35m as total package, deal could be done soon.”
Despite Romano’s claim, there have been suggestions Liverpool and Palace are still apart in their valuations with a deal far from complete.
It’s just another development in the ongoing friction between Newcastle and Liverpool in the summer transfer market. Liverpool’s interest in Alexander Isak has unsettled the Newcastle striker and has left head coach Eddie Howe without his top scorer heading into the new season.
Liverpool also hijacked Newcastle’s move for Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt and are now pushing to land their top defensive target from last summer.
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Alexander Isak latest
Isak hasn’t trained with Newcastle’s first team since returning from a pre-season training camp in Austria a month ago. He won’t be involved for Newcastle’s Premier League opener at Aston Villa on Saturday with reports emerging that the striker does not intend on playing for the club again amid transfer interest from Liverpool.
But Newcastle insist the striker is not for sale and made a statement by naming Isak in their squad list for the 2025/26 season as the club’s No. 14, reiterating that he is still very much a Newcastle player as things stand.
The announcement, whether a formality or not, shows there is still a possible route for Isak back into the first team. But Liverpool are set to test Newcastle’s resolve with another bid for the striker in the final weeks of the window.