Anfield’s Spending Spree
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Liverpool appears poised to enhance their significant summer investment with the acquisition of Marc Guéhi, a central defender from Crystal Palace. As reported by The Times, the Anfield side is ready to present an offer that could total £35 million (€40.5 million) for the 25-year-old. If finalized, this transfer would elevate Liverpool’s total spending on new players to €334.2 million, making Guéhi the club’s most expensive central defender since they secured Virgil Van Dijk from Southampton for €84.6 million in January 2018.
Guéhi attracted significant interest last summer, with Newcastle reportedly having a bid turned down for him, while Tottenham also sought to sign the England international during the January transfer window. With Guéhi’s contract expiring next summer, Crystal Palace is under pressure to sell the defender ahead of the upcoming season. It appears that Liverpool has outpaced other clubs in the race for his signature.
After moving from Chelsea to Selhurst Park for €23.3 million in the summer of 2021, Guéhi has flourished at the South London club. Over the past four years, his market value has steadily increased from €10 million to an impressive €45 million. This rise not only makes him Crystal Palace’s second most valuable player but also the 18th most valuable English player in the sport. His value has surged by €35 million during this period, with only seven central defenders in the Premier League experiencing a larger increase.
Should Liverpool secure Guéhi for the mentioned fee, their summer spending would reach an astounding €334.2 million. This would mark the highest expenditure the Anfield club has ever recorded in a single transfer window and the fourth largest in football history. Only Paris Saint-Germain (€350 million) and Al-Hilal (€353 million) in the summer of 2023, along with Chelsea (€464 million) during the same period, have spent more on player acquisitions than Liverpool has in recent months.
