Defender omitted from squad after Newcastle United talks as Marc Guehi Plan B considered

Newcastle United are pushing to sign a right-sided centre-back before the summer transfer window closes on August 30, with Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace their number one target.

However, the Magpies are yet to reach agreement for the Euro 2024 star, despite submitting four bids - the latest understood to be worth £65million including add-ons.

Talks between United and Palace will continue this week in hope getting a deal over the line but other options are being weighed up in case. As a result, Newcastle are again linked with Gomez.

United held talks over signing the 27-year-old before June 30 for £45million in a trade-off that would have seen Anthony Gordon head to Anfield.

However, the proposal was taken off the table when Newcastle solved their Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) shortfall with the sales of Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh to Nottingham Forest and Brighton & Hove Albion, respectively, for a combined £68m.

With Aston Villa, Fulham and Chelsea also known to have shown interest in Gomez - as per The Times - his omission at Ipswich has been described as “grown-up discussions between the player and Liverpool” as the England international mulls over his future.

Should Gomez stay, then new Reds boss Arne Slots plans to reintegrate him back into the squad.

Gomez, who can play anywhere across the backline, has made 223 appearances for Liverpool since joining from Charlton Athletic in 2015. He has represented England 15 times, and was part of the squad that competed at Euro 2024.