According to reports, Liverpool are lagging behind a European giant in the race to sign Crystal Palace and England star Marc Guehi in 2026.
Guehi is one of the most valuable footballers who could become a free agent in 2026 and Palace boss Oliver Glasner recently confirmed that he will leave the Premier League side next year.
Glasner admitted: “I think Marc [Guehi] has already told us that he doesn’t sign a new contract, so he will leave next year.
“The club wanted [him to stay]. They offered Marc a new contract. But he said, ‘no, I want to make something different’. And that’s normal.
“And for us, it’s how we can deal with this situation? [What] is the best way to get this next step done? And that’s all about how we are talking together.”
In the summer, Liverpool missed an opportunity to sign Guehi for a cut-price fee as he was their top centre-back target, while they were his preferred destination.
The Reds wasted time before agreeing a deal worth around £35m for Guehi, though Palace decided to pull the plug at the eleventh hour as they could not sign a suitable replacement.
This was a major blow for Liverpool as it leaves Arne Slot’s side short of centre-back options, though it has been reported that they remain interested in Guehi heading into 2026.
However, they could rue their failure to sign Guehi in the summer as the Englishman can reach a pre-contract agreement with European sides from January onwards.
Unsurprisingly, Guehi is not short of interest as he is also linked with Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
Now, German football expert Christian Falk has revealed why Bayern Munich ‘hold an advantage’ over Liverpool in the race to sign Guehi.
He explained: ‘It is true: Bayern Munich hold the advantage over Premier League clubs for the signing of Marc Guehi.
There are two reasons for this. There are reports in Germany that one of Guehi’s agents, Gordon Stipic, was already in Munich for talks, as claimed on Sky Sports. So this could be the case.
‘One thing for certain: sporting director Christoph Freund, the right hand man of Max Eberl, is from Austria and he has a strong connection to Oliver Glasner. We know that that there are talks between these two friends, both of whom previously worked for Red Bull.
‘Freund is putting pressure for Guehi to come to Bayern Munich. The England international would be a perfect solution. He’s the captain of Crystal Palace, a potential free agent, and his salary isn’t looking as high as the other superstars in the Premier League.
‘So there’s a good chance for Bayern, and they have a good role lying in wait for him. With that in mind, FC Bayern are working hard on this deal. That’s why they’re ahead – they have a clear plan.’