Liverpool told to use Real Madrid transfer trick to get £20m January deal done

View 3 Images

Liverpool have been advised to follow Real Madrid's strategy in order to secure a bargain deal for Marc Guehi this month. The Crystal Palace defender remains a target for the Reds after a proposed move to Anfield fell through at the close of the summer transfer window.

However, with his contract at Palace set to expire in a few months, Liverpool could face stiff competition for his signature come summer. A January transfer - Palace's last opportunity to command a fee for the England defender - has been suggested.

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire believes the Reds could make a £20million offer, drawing parallels with Real's early acquisition of Trent Alexander-Arnold , which saw them pay Liverpool £10m just before his contract ended, enabling him to participate in the Club World Cup.

Maguire said: "Everybody's looking at centre-half, given that they thought that they'd signed Guehi in the summer and then that deal collapsed at the last minute.

"So could they sign him now in a bid not dissimilar to the situation that we saw with Trent Alexander-Arnold? He went to Real Madrid with four weeks of the transfer window before his contract ran out, but that qualified him for the Club World Cup.

"So they got £10m there. Could Palace get £20m for Guehi in January? Certainly they could. Liverpool are in a prime position to sign him because they're an attractive proposition."

View 3 Images

Despite last summer's spending spree, Maguire insists "spectacularly well-run" Liverpool don't need to fret about breaching profit and sustainability rules. He said: "That gives them the benefit. They've never been in danger [of breaching spending rules].

"They're only paying £63 in wages for every £100 that comes through the door. So again, that gives them plenty of headroom."

He added: "Yes, they had a spectacular summer of 2025, but if you take a look at their losses in the two previous years, they were never in danger of breaching PSR.

"So that's given them the capacity to spend. And remember, if you sign a player, the cost of the signing is spread over the contract. It's spread over five years for example.

View 3 Images

"So if you sign a £50m player in January, six months of that will go into your account. So it's going to cost you £5m. Now £5m, you get £3.5m per place in the Premier League .

"The important thing, again from Liverpool's point of view, and they seem to have turned the corner in terms of what's happening on the pitch, is to finish in the top five positions and get that participation.

Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.