Liverpool now have a ‘big problem’ if they want to try to sign Marc Guehi in January

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Liverpool are one injury away from being in a real crisis defensively.

Giovanni Leoni has already been ruled out for the season due to an ACL tear, which has left Liverpool with just three senior centre-backs among their ranks.

However, centre-back isn’t their only problem area, with their choices of right-back also being far from ideal, with none of Conor Bradley, Jeremie Frimpong, or Dominik Szoboszlai playing all that well.

All of this, coupled with the fact that Ibrahima Konate is in some of the worst form of his life, means that defensively, Liverpool are a shambles.

Despite this, it still doesn’t feel likely that the Anfield outfit will look to sign a new centre-back in the upcoming January transfer window.

David Lynch thinks that Crystal Palace playing in the Europa Conference League will be a “big problem” for Liverpool

One of the main centre-backs to have been linked with a move to Merseyside this season is Marc Guehi.

The centre-back was almost a Liverpool player on deadline day until Crystal Palace chose to pull out of the deal in the dying embers.

This has caused a major problem for Liverpool, especially since Leoni is now injured.

And now, as per a fresh report from journalist David Lynch, he doesn’t think that any sort of money put forward by Liverpool in January would be enough for Palace to let him go due to them competing in the Europa Conference League.

“The big problem around Guehi is, will Palace think that whatever money they get in January be enough to think ‘ok, we don’t get to go for the Conference League.’ They could push for Europe this year in the league,” he said to Sports Mole.

“What sort of money would justify letting him go in January? I’m not sure there’s a figure out there that would.

“That one looks difficult to see, so then Liverpool’s argument will be, why would we go and sign someone we don’t want when we can wait for Guehi and get him on a free in the summer. I have real doubts that they’ll go out into the January market, to be honest. But it would be a nice surprise if they did.”

Liverpool must figure out their priorities before the January transfer window comes around

On the face of things, it feels clear that Liverpool need to sign a new centre-back in January.

They only have three options available to them at the moment, and with the form that Konate is in and the lack of reliability in Joe Gomez, it’s unclear whether that’ll be enough to last them the entire season.

Of course, others such as Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch can fill in at centre-back, but as has been made abundantly clear this season, both are far better when used as midfielders.

If Liverpool want to stay competitive and perhaps even win the Premier League and the Champions League this term, they’re going to have to pick things up a gear or two, or they may as well kiss their title hopes goodbye.

Indeed, from a business perspective, it makes perfect sense to wait until they can sign Guehi for free in the summer, but if their performances this season don’t pick back up, they’ll have to weigh up their priorities and figure out what’s best.