Liverpool Eye Seven Targets Including Newcastle and Forest Stars to Reinforce Key Position
With a seven-man shortlist and sources assessing the likelihood of a January raid for Marc Guehi, the player at the top of his wishlist, Liverpool’s recruitment squad is searching far and deep for at least one new defensive addition in 2026.
On transfer deadline day last month, the Reds were just a hair away from acquiring Guehi, but Crystal Palace decided against the £35 million sale.
The England player was upset and dismayed to be left out of the move, and sources have stated since last March that he preferred to move to Liverpool.
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A free transfer swap is now extremely likely for the 26-time England defender, though, since Guehi has returned to Palace and stated that he would not be signing a new contract at Selhurst Park.
Naturally, Slot is still eager to make a deal, but what once seemed definite now appears to be anything but. Liverpool now faces the very real possibility of losing out on the player for a second time, as a number of well-known European teams, notably Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, are vying for his signature.
Following that, it has been revealed that Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes have created a list of seven center-half targets for the 2026 transfer window.
Given the uncertainty surrounding Ibrahima Konate, the club is open to signing two of these players and wants at least one next season.
According to two reporters, Liverpool has recently added a few more names to their wanted list.
In fact, Ben Jacobs revealed earlier this month that Newcastle’s Sven Botman had been added to their want list, which now also includes Sporting CP’s Zeno Debast and Ousmane Diomande, as well as Willian Pacho (PSG).
Mark Brus of Caught Offside has added Nottingham Forest’s Murillo to their wishlist, despite widespread reports of intense interest in Bayern’s Dayot Upamecano. Thus, Liverpool’s defensive wish list now consists of seven players:
• Murillo
• Willian Pacho
• Ousmane Diomande
• Dayot Upamecano
• Sven Botman
• Zeno Denblast
• Marc Guehi
However, other players are also listed; this list compiles all of the center-flankers connected to the Reds before the 2026 transfer windows open.
Sources assess Liverpool’s prospects of acquiring a defender in January
There is a claim that Liverpool might wait until the summer to add any more players to their roster after spending almost £440 million on new players this summer.
In any case, Brus, who writes for the Daily Briefing, believes that, depending on how Konate’s future turns out, Liverpool may try to recruit more than one defender in 2026.
“I think there’s a good chance Liverpool’s list of CB targets is expanding because they might try to make more than one signing in that position, though that’s obviously not confirmed at the moment and would probably change if Konate ended up staying,” he said.
James Pearce, a reliable Liverpool journalist, does not believe the Reds will make any moves in the January transfer window, even if young Italian Giovanni Leoni was injured and will miss the season.
“It was a real blow losing Leoni for the season, but Liverpool still seem relaxed about their centre-back options,” he said in a Q&A with The Athletic.
We’ll have to wait and see whether additional injuries or form cause a change of heart in the upcoming months. I wouldn’t be shocked to see a relatively quiet January window after the club’s record-breaking summer spending.
“Arne Slot may only have three senior center-backs with specialised skills, but Andy Robertson, Wataru Endo, and Ryan Gravenberch can also play there.”
Additionally, according to our transfer insider Dean Jones, Palace will want to cling onto Guehi in January, which means the 25-year-old’s free transfer departure next summer is most likely.
Jones informed TEAMtalk about the general interest in Palace players Guehi, Adam Wharton, and Daniel Munoz, a right-back:
None of them should depart in January, in my opinion. At that point, luring any of the three away would require a really audacious offer.
Instead of being sold in the winter, Guehi would be better off waiting until the summer to make his free agent transfer.
“I don’t think interest in Munoz is evident enough to be taken seriously at this time, and Wharton isn’t going to leave midway through the season.
Of course, though, that can still be changed. “I expect some very clear understanding to be outlined if anything starts to open up because Palace tends to communicate well with players who could leave the club.”
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Although we’ve already highlighted why the rumours should be taken with a grain of salt, one insider has shockingly outlined why Alexander Isak could fill the vacuum left by Robert Lewandowski’s departure from Barcelona next summer after just one season at Liverpool.
The Sweden had yet another difficult night on Monday as his country, Sweden, lost badly to Kosovo 1-0 in a World Cup qualifying match in Gothenburg, putting them in danger of being eliminated.
Following that disappointing evening, Isak’s performance received a worrying one out of five from the Swedish media, who characterised it as a “fail” display.
Meanwhile, another sour reporter couldn’t help but make a big joke about the Reds star, accusing him of a variety of things.
He wasn’t the only Liverpool player to receive negative publicity; Florian Wirtz also received harsh criticism from several German magazines and was the subject of a vicious accusation that he “didn’t succeed with anything.”
The Windsor Park crowd jeered the £116 million player as his team narrowly defeated Belfast 1-0.
