Fabrizio Romano confirms centre-back spending plans amid new Marc Guehi links

Liverpool are down to three senior centre-back options - and are one injury or suspension away from a crisis in the position.

The Reds recruited Giovanni Leoni over the summer on an initial £26m deal from Parma - but the 18-year-old tore an ACL on debut and won’t play again this season.

Having earlier sold Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen for around £30m, it leaves Arne Slot with only Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez.

There is uncertainty over Konate’s future - given he is out of contract in 2026 and no agreement yet reached over a new deal.

And Gomez is not guaranteed to be at Anfield long term either with the Premier League champions having fielded interest in the England international over summer.

Liverpool knocked back in Guehi bid

Liverpool came close to solving their centre-back shortage on transfer deadline day - but saw a last-minute move for Marc Guehi knocked back.

The Crystal Palace captain agreed to join the Reds for an initial £35m but the FA Cup holders backed out of the deal owing to a lack of alternatives.

That failure is now catching up to Liverpool - with the club linked with several centre-backs in transfer windows upcoming.

We’ve seen recent links with Ronald Araujo, Nico Schlotterbeck and others - meaning club recruiters clearly feel it’s an area of the squad that can be improved.

Romano confirms Liverpool's CB plans

Whether or not the club can come back in for Guehi remains to be seen. One knock-on effect of losing out on Guehi in summer is they have effectively lost their clear run at the England man.

With the 25-year-old out of contract in 2026, it is expected that he will have his pick of top English and European clubs next summer when he will be a free agent.

European teams have an advantage in that they will be able to speak with Guehi from January - with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid all thought to be keen.

Now Fabrizio Romano has revealed that it’s most likely for Guehi to leave next summer - and right now his next destination is uncertain.

No plans to add a centre-back in January

“Liverpool are currently not planning for a centre-back addition in January,” he writes.

“When is this going to happen? Sources close to the matter see a transfer most likely to happen in July compared to January, but anything can happen based on injuries or important proposals,” he states on GIVEMESPORT.

“The reigning Premier League champions remain attentive and keen on the England international, with him still being on the shortlist for 2026, but nothing has been pre-agreed after the Deadline Day saga and nothing is signed or guaranteed at this stage."

One item that CAN seemingly be ruled out at this stage is Liverpool moving for a central defender in January. According to the Italian transfer supremo, Liverpool will persist with their current options until the end of the season.

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