When the "ideal profile" of a new defender is unveiled, Liverpool threatens Marc Guehi's U-turn.

According to a reporter, Liverpool may abruptly abandon their pursuit of Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi if one crucial component remains unchanged, as the "ideal profile" of any potential replacements becomes apparent.

The next position to change in Liverpool's team during the game-changing summer transfer window is centre-back. 

In addition to the club-record purchase of attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz, the Reds have already made significant changes at right-back, where Trent Alexander-Arnold has been replaced by Jeremie Frimpong, and left-back, where Andy Robertson has been replaced by Milos Kerkez.

Even though Virgil van Dijk signed a new two-year contract, Liverpool still needed to bolster their centre-back position since they began 2025 uncertain if he would stay past the conclusion of his current one.

The reason for this is that they have agreed to sell Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen, who will conduct a medical examination on Monday to complete the 22-year-old's transfer to Germany. 

When Quansah departs, Liverpool will need to find a replacement because they would only have Van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, and Joe Gomez as centre-back options for their championship defence.

Guehi is becoming a prime target on that front. The England international has many suitors as he approaches the last year of his Crystal Palace deal.

Liverpool is the most prominent of them, and numerous reliable sources attest to their admiration for Guehi. However, rumours that they intended to bid £45 million for him have since been dispelled.

Ben Jacobs claims that Liverpool "have no plans" to pay the £45–£50 million asking price for Guehi. 

According to the reporter, the club is actually "still assessing" whether they have a "genuine" chance to sign the 24-year-old.

Jacobs concludes that Liverpool ‘will only progress their interest […] if Crystal Palace’s asking price drops.’ 

If not, Liverpool might move on to other targets, with Jacobs emphasising that their ‘ideal profile’ would be someone in the 18-22 age category anyhow – at least two years younger than Guehi.

Although a deal for Guehi might end up being too good to pass up, Liverpool will be weighing their options for the time being. 

Jacobs claims that Ajax's Jorrel Hato is another defender they look up to and who does fall within their desired age range.

The transfer stance of Marc Guehi was disclosed.

Guehi himself must also decide what he wants out of his future. 

A graduate of Chelsea's academy, he has a Europa League spot available with Palace for the upcoming campaign, but he might be good enough to play for a Champions League team.

Guehi appears to have solidified his place as an England starter, but he will want to maintain that position before the World Cup in the US, Canada, and Mexico next summer. 

According to Jacobs, Guehi's decision will be influenced by his playing time at the club level prior to the World Cup, but he has no problem extending his contract with Palace until the following summer. 

However, it was recently reported by Thesportmoment that Guehi was on the verge of reaching an agreement with Liverpool, which would be the precursor to club-to-club communication.

A move to Anfield does appeal to Guehi, but there are other suitors in the fight for his signature. He would be in charge of his own destiny if he waited until 2026, when he would be a free agent.

It's unclear what Liverpool's maximum price restriction for Guehi is, or whether this is just a negotiation ploy, but they still have two months left in the transfer window to try and get his commitment if they think he's worthy.