Marc Guehi? Liverpool believe they have deal to sign a BETTER player

Liverpool feel they've ultimately landed a player better than Marc Guehi. The Reds nearly signed the defender in the summer.

Marc Guehi was incredibly close to becoming a Liverpool player this season. A deal was in place right at the end of the summer transfer window, with just about everyone convinced it would happen.

Everyone except Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish, anyway. Knowing full well that his captain could leave after the season at the end of his contract.

Parish cancelled the deal right at the last minute when it became clear that Palace couldn't find a replacement and that's fair enough. But it left Liverpool needing a backup plan and the most obvious one was to try again for Guehi in January.

He'd be even cheaper by that stage, though not in wages. Though, it always meant that Liverpool would be paying for just five months of football rather than a full season.

They didn't want to do that in the end while Manchester City were happy to pay up. Fortunately, Liverpool feel they've landed on their feet.

Jeremy Jacquet is their future

Liverpool are about to complete a deal for Jeremy Jacquet by all accounts. The Athletic claim it'll cost them around £55m up front, with a further £5m in add-ons.

The Reds have pushed hard to get the centre-back, who will remain with Rennes until the end of the season. But he'll join Liverpool in the summer - we'll just all have to wait.

And there's real excitement around the 20-year-old. Jacquet is inexperienced but his reputation in France is phenomenal. Everyone appears to believe he's destined for the very, very top of the game - which is exactly what you need when replacing Virgil van Dijk is the dream here.

Liverpool, who failed to sign Guehi in the summer, feel they've ended up with the better long-term option here.

"Liverpool view Jacquet as being a more valuable long-term acquisition than Guehi in their model, hence the push to sign the France youth international," the Athletic say in their report.

Now, Guehi is almost certainly the risk-free, short-term option. He's more experienced and knows the Premier League, after all. But Jacquet should boast more potential and have the kind of ability to lead Liverpool's defence for years to come.

That's the major hope here and why Liverpool are taking a chance with this kind of money. So in the end, missing out on Guehi should prove to be a blessing.

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