Marc Guehi is weighing up his future with a clean slate, but is ‘almost certain’ about one thing, TEAMtalk has learned, as Liverpool’s chances of signing the defender hang in the balance.

As we know, Guehi was within a whisker of joining Liverpool from Crystal Palace on deadline day. The two clubs reached an agreement and he began taking his medical, but Palace ultimately backed out of the deal because of the challenges of finding a replacement.

However, Palace are increasingly resigned to their fate of losing Guehi in 2026, with head coach Oliver Glasner admitting on Friday that the club captain has informed them he doesn’t want to extend his contract.

That presents two options for Guehi to move on to his next club. Either someone comes forward and buys him in January, or he moves elsewhere as a free agent in the summer, when his terms at Selhurst Park expire.

And TEAMtalk correspondent Dean Jones can assert that Guehi running down his deal in south London to explore a wider range of options is the most likely scenario, with Liverpool brutally told they ‘do not have the edge’ anymore for the 25-year-old.

“I am told it is almost certain he will go at the end of the season rather than January. That is the preference,” Jones explains.

“If you look at it from his point of view, he will never be in a better position to get the move of his dreams. As a free agent the world of football is his to choose from and as soon as the move to Liverpool fell through, that’s what the focus became.

“Professionally it is better for him to leave as a free agent and personally it is better too.

“He is going to get a very lucrative financial deal and can also very carefully choose his next step. This is a once in a lifetime moment to define his career with huge benefits.

“He is very open minded about what comes next and is looking at the situation with a clean slate.

“Liverpool do not have the edge. He’ll be looking towards every option with intrigue.”

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Threats to Liverpool for Guehi transfer

From the perspective of Guehi’s suitors, it may make sense to wait until the end of the season too, rather than pay a fee for a player they could pick up for nothing half a year later.

However, that plays into the hands of his admirers abroad more than Premier League clubs like Liverpool. Any foreign club can open talks with Guehi to secure a pre-contract agreement from January onwards; clubs in the same country cannot.

Earlier this week, a Sky Sports reporter named the three clubs that are in a more advantageous position than Liverpool for Guehi as things stand: Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

There is still a clear vacancy up for grabs at Anfield that should encourage Liverpool to keep their interest alive, given their shortage of centre-backs in the wake of Giovanni Leoni’s injury and the fact that Ibrahima Konate is another player with a contract expiring in 2026, so they may want to put up a fight for a player who was so close to becoming theirs in the summer.

Liverpool latest: Signing regret, Konate stance…

While Liverpool may come to regret not finalising a deal for Guehi sooner, one pundit has claimed they already have regrets over one of the summer signings that did arrive at Anfield.

However, shouts that they would gladly take a refund are nonsense.

In other news, a shock report has claimed Liverpool are readying an offer for a new winger before his price tag increases at next summer’s World Cup in North America.

Meanwhile, reports in Spain have shed light on Konate’s feelings about Real Madrid’s stance on signing him.

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