Marc Guehi ‘tells friends’ which club he wants to join in January amid Newcastle United interest

Newcastle United transfer target Marc Guehi has reportedly told friends which club he’s interested in signing for in the January transfer window.

The Crystal Palace centre back, who helped England reach the final of Euro 2024, was the subject of rampant speculation linking him with a move to St James’ Park in the summer after the Magpies had three bids turned down for the 24-year-old.

Guehi has just 18 months remaining on his existing contract at Crystal Palace, and according to The Athletic, has been stalling on signing an extension with the Selhurst Park club for a number of months as he eyes a move to a major European club. The ex-Chelsea player remains high on Newcastle’s wishlist at a time when Eddie Howe’s side are without two key defenders in Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles due to injury.

However, Football Insider understands that Guehi has told close friends and family that he wants to make the move to Liverpool when he leaves Crystal Palace.

The Reds are currently top of the table under Arne Slot after a fantastic start to the season but are set to face a number of questions over the long-term future of their defence as Virgil Van Dijk approaches the final few months of his Anfield contract. Slot currently has Ibrahim Konate, Jarell Quansah and Joe Gomez as his other centre back options but is believed to be a huge fan of Guehi.

However, former Newcastle United assistant boss Dean Saunders, who also played for Liverpool between 1991 and 1992 believes the Reds don’t really need to sign Guehi unless they lose Van Dijk in the summer.

He explained to Football365: “Slot has Quansah, Gomez and Konate to choose from and I think all three are really good. Konate is great, Quansah could be a great player and Gomez is a good player. He can come in and his attitude will be spot on.”

“I don’t think Liverpool need Guehi unless they see Guehi as a world beater who could be better than van Dijk. I think he’s not much better than the other three. He plays for Palace and I’d like to see him playing for a top six club where the pressure is on every week. It’s a different ball game.

“They’re different animals to manage. The players at the top six clubs can’t make mistakes. If you play at the back for Liverpool you’re going to get slaughtered if you keep making mistakes.”

Guehi enjoyed an excellent individual season at Crystal Palace last term and was a key part of Oliver Glasner’s team which secured the team’s joint highest league finish.

However, this term the Eagles have struggled to match the same standards. They are currently winless in eight matches and have conceded 11 goals - leaving them 18th in the league table with just three points all season.