Today’s Liverpool FC transfer round-up sees updates on long-term targets and silly season getting truly underway
22:35, 06 Jan 2026Updated 22:53, 06 Jan 2026
Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace(Image: Sebastian Frej/Getty Images)
On the sixth day of the transfer window, Richard Hughes gave to me… Lionel Messi on a short-term loan to Liverpool?
Silly season is well and truly upon us and one rumour has especially caught the eye. A shock report sees probably the greatest player of all time linked with what would be an astonishing move to Anfield. Could we really see Messi in a Red shirt? (Spoiler alert: probably not.)
Back in the real world, Liverpool have struggled defensively this season and continue to be linked to a number of centre-backs, though speculation still rages over Marc Guehi, whose contract at Crystal Palace expires at the end of the campaign.
READ MORE: Harvey Elliott best transfer outcome clear after Liverpool £35m deal called offREAD MORE: Oliver Glasner changes tune about Marc Guehi transfer as Man City could force Liverpool’s hand
And, here, we round-up the latest gossip and rumours on the Reds’ potential transfer dealings.
Crystal Palace ‘open to selling Marc Guehi’
GiveMeSport have claimed an exclusive scoop on the future of Marc Guehi. The England international has long been touted with a move to Anfield, coming *this* close to a deadline day switch in the summer before Crystal Palace pulled the plug at the eleventh hour.
GMS now believe Palace “have not completely discounted” a sale in January, with Guehi entering the final six months of his contract, but “it would take an extraordinary offer for Palace to sanction a sale this month”.
This is no great surprise – every player has a price tag, especially one with such a little amount of time to run on his current deal, but it has been widely reported by other outlets that the “extraordinary offer” Palace are after would need to exceed the £35m agreed with Liverpool back in September
Yesterday (January 5), BBC Sport revealed that Manchester City were exploring a move for Guehi following injuries to Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias. The report claimed City are ready to “increase their interest” in the centre-half, with the ECHO’s sister paper the Manchester Evening News having previously reported Guehi as being on the shortlist for next summer.
The X (Twitter) account @indykaila, which was accurate on several high-profile moves in the summer summer including Alexander Isak’s record-breaking transfer to Liverpool, has also reported Liam Rosenior is looking to make Guehi his first signing as Chelsea manager.
Former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson via Football Insider has warned the saga is likely to run the distance. Borson said: “I wouldn’t be surprised if [Liverpool] found somebody in that kind of £50-60m level or if they did the Marc Guehi signing if they could get that over the line for let’s say £35m.
“Somebody’s going to have to put Crystal Palace on the spot and say to Crystal Palace, ‘Look, you’ve got zero coming in the summer if you hold him. What do you want to do? Keep a player for let’s say 30 matches total, including Europe, for £35m or do you want to sell him at the end of January?’
“I think it’s going to be one of those watch this space on deadline day. Does somebody want to pay £35m for Guehi? Obviously, the most likely team to do that is Liverpool.””
Antoine Semenyo Manchester City medical
Antoine Semenyo of Bournemouth (Image: Shaun Brooks – CameraSport via Getty Images)
Bad news for Liverpool fans came ahead of the transfer window in the form of Antoine Semenyo‘s likely mid-season switch to rivals Manchester City. The Ghanaian forward, who was linked heavily with a move to Anfield, looks set to complete a £65m transfer to Pep Guardiola’s side in a blow to the Reds.
Speaking ahead of Bournemouth’s home game against Tottenham Hotspur, manager Andoni Iraola confirmed Semenyo will play but admitted the writing may be on the wall.
Iraola said: “Antoine will play tomorrow. I can give you my opinion from my experience; there is nothing signed with Antoine Semenyo. If you ask me personally what do I think, with all the knowledge, it could be his last game, but I cannot guarantee it. I understand the market, I understand the noise, but right now, there is nothing agreed, there is nothing signed.
“For me, he is our player, and I hope he continues. My understanding, because I have been in other markets before, not just this club, in others, there is a chance this is his last game.”
Sky Sports later confirmed a medical is booked for Semenyo with Manchester City on Thursday.
Dayot Upamecano ‘very close’ to new Bayern Munich deal
Dayot Upamecano of Bayern Munich (Image: GSI/Icon Sport via Getty Images)
One defender Liverpool won’t be making a move for, barring a sudden turn of events, appears to be Bayern Munich’s Dayot Upamecano. Bayern news site FCBinside spoke to sporting director Christoph Freund, who was confident of a deal being agreed.
Upamecano had previously been slated as a potential Liverpool target in the summer to replace Ibrahima Konate should he decide to run down his contract and leave on a free.
Freund said of Konate’s fellow France international: “He’s 27, next year he’ll be 28 – that’s the best age for soccer. Accordingly, this will be a very important contract for him for the next three or four years. I’ve known him for a very, very long time. I brought him to Salzburg when he was 16.
“There’s no final decision yet, but we’re already very, very close.”
Bavarian outlet TZ previously reported in December that Upamecano’s agent had offered his client to Liverpool. Now, with the benefit of hindsight, this appears to have been a classic ploy to force Bayern’s hand in negotiations.
Federico Chiesa going nowhere
Federico Chiesa of Liverpool(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
One of the biggest Liverpool-related transfer stories from yesterday came from Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, who reported that Juventus had made formal contact for Federico Chiesa. The out-of-favour Liverpool forward could be open to a move in search of more game time, and a surprise return to his former club appeared to be on the cards.
However, the ECHO understands no contact has been received by Liverpool for Chiesa. This was later corroborated by The Athletic’s James Pearce:
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Pearce said: “Liverpool have had no contact, either formal or informal, from Juventus regarding Federico Chiesa. The Italian forward regarded as an important member of the squad – has featured in last five matches.”
It seems unlikely the Reds would allow the Italian to leave at this stage of the season without bringing in a replacement who is ready to feature more heavily, as Arne Slot has relied on Chiesa to rotate his first choice forward options through an injury crisis and Mohamed Salah‘s absence at AFCON.
Liverpool ‘interested’ in Manchester United target
Yan Diomande of RB Leipzig(Image: Boris Streubel/Getty Images)
Africafoot has claimed that Manchester United have launched an enormous €90m raid on RB Leipzig to sign 20-year-old Ivory Coast international Yan Diomande. The fansite further claimed to have insider information from Diomande’s entourage regarding personal terms, United being said to have offered the winger a five-year deal with an option for an additional year on a wage of €3.5m per year.
The Athletic‘s David Ornstein has shot down such suggestions as premature, stating that Diomande is not for sale in January, but could move for a whopping €100m in the summer.
So where do Liverpool come into this? Africafoot namedropped the Reds as potential rivals for Diomande’s signature, along with Tottenham Hotspur, Bayern Munich and Manchester City.
Sacha Tavolieri, reporting for Sky Sports Switzerland in December, claimed both Liverpool and Spurs had already made “very advanced contact” with the player’s representatives.
Tavolieri said: “Liverpool are also very interested in this transfer. Currently rebuilding their attack, the Reds see Diomande as a serious option to bring fresh legs and attacking flair.”
Such a link is to be expected as the Reds do their due diligence on potential attacking signings with a view to the inevitable day Mohamed Salah leaves the club. Diomande could be one to watch come summer 2026.
Left-back Liverpool bid for stalling on new deal
Derby County’s Kayden Jackson (right) and Sheffield Wednesday’s Yisa Alao battle for the ball during the Championship match at Hillsborough(Image: PA)
Sheffield Wednesday manager Henrik Pedersen has told local newspaper The Star that contract negotiations with 17-year-old left-back Yisa Alao are stalling.
The young defender, who has so far made three appearances for the first team, is yet to agree on a professional contract, and – according to the same outlet – was previously the subject of “mid-level six-figure” offers from Liverpool and Manchester United.
Pedersen said: “There is still the same dialogue, so there is nothing new in this. There’s nothing signed and I think they’re waiting to see what happens with our club in the future.”
Loan round-up
The expected signing of 18-year-old Senegalese defender Mor Ndiaye, as covered in this column yesterday, will open up a loan move for Amara Nallo, who made his Liverpool debut against PSV last season and featured in the 3-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace in the EFL Cup this season. Paul Gorst covered the story in an ECHO exclusive yesterday (Jan 6).
Forest Green Rovers have confirmed James Balagizi has returned to his parent club Liverpool, releasing a statment on X (Twitter).
They said: “We can confirm James Balagizi has returned to Liverpool. The 22-year-old made 10 appearances for Rovers, scoring a last-minute equaliser against Scunthorpe United earlier in the season. We would all like to thank James for his contributions this season, and we wish him the very best for the rest of his career.”
Meanwhile, Honduran outlet Once Noticias have reported that highly-rated academy striker Keyrol Figueroa is the subject of loan interest from Serie A outfit Parma. Figueroa was born in Honduras and his father, Maynor, made 181 appearances for the national team.
Former Manchester United scout Mick Brown has once again had his say on Liverpool for Football Insider, claiming it is “almost certain” that Harvey Elliott will make a loan move to MLS, despite wide reporting that the midfielder who is out of favour on loan at Aston Villa would decline any such temporary move stateside.
Finally, James Pearce has reported in the Transfer DealSheet for The Athletic that Liverpool will not consider loan offers for Trey Nyoni. The 18-year-old midfielder has made himself a regular feature in first-team training over the last two seasons and is considered “an important part” of Arne Slot’s plans.
As we have come to expect with January transfer windows, Pearce also warned fans to expect a quiet one in terms of incoming signings.
Pearce said: “Senior club figures have indicated it is likely to be a quiet window for Liverpool, especially given the record-breaking £450m outlay of last summer. They won’t pursue short-term fixes. However, recent years have shown that they will react in the market if the right opportunity becomes available at the right price.”
Other reports today
Lionel Messi to Liverpool? You’re having a laugh(Image: Rich Storry/Getty Images)
You could be forgiven for thinking Fichajes might give it a rest after their dubious Ryan Gravenberch to Real Madrid bombshell yesterday. But my, oh my, how wrong you would be. The latest explosive rumour from the Spanish mill regards a certain Lionel Messi making a loan move to Liverpool until the end of the season. Apparently, the player’s inner circle insist that “Messi still has sporting ambition and wants to compete at the highest level as long as his body permits it.” No surprises there. The theory goes that, with MLS working on a summer schedule, the Argentinian great would be keen on a loan move to Europe to keep himself fit ahead of the World Cup. The source: “A rumour that has begun to circulate from England.” Sorry, but don’t get your hopes up, Reds.
TEAMtalk have reported that Chelsea “have carried out extensive checks” on Stade Rennais centre-half Jeremy Jacquet. What those checks might involve is left up to the imagination, as the same report states that no decision has yet been made on whether to attempt to sign the 20-year-old defender. Liverpool are “understood to be tracking Jacquet” along with Arsenal, Manchester United and Real Madrid.
A slightly more believable rumour comes from Loic Tanzi of L’Equipe, who spoke on Ici about the future of PSG winger Bradley Barcola. According to Tanzi, the Frenchman could be set to leave the European champions in the summer, and PSG could sign a forward this month to prepare for his exit. Liverpool were linked with Barcola as a replacement for Luis Diaz in the summer, and will no doubt continue to monitor his situation as one of the most skilful wide players in Europe.