Chelsea now have clear path to £60m transfer coup after major Liverpool news

To say that it’s been a good day for Liverpool fans would be a mild understatement – a new deal for key centre-half Virgil van Dijk has been announced which, along with last week’s extension for Mohammed Salah, means that a potential overhaul of the squad has been delayed.

But Van Dijk’s decision to stay at Anfield for another two years isn’t only good news for Liverpool. Now that the Reds no longer need to fill the vast void that the 33-year-old would have left, the defenders that they were looking at in the transfer market become easier for other clubs to acquire – and in particular, it could give Chelsea a clear run at Marc Guéhi.

Does the new Virgil van Dijk deal mean Liverpool won’t sign new defender?

Liverpool have been among a few teams linked with a bid for England centre-back Guéhi, not that it was clear that the Crystal Palace man was necessarily their first priority – but it now looks highly unlikely that Liverpool will make a move for the 24-year-old this summer.

That’s because, with an asking price believed to be in the region of £60m, Liverpool were only likely to make such an investment if they felt it was an absolute necessity – now, with no hole left to fill, they will likely continue to rely on what has been one of the most effective rosters of centre-halves in the Premier League.

With Van Dijk, Ibrahima Konaté, Joe Gomez and Jarell Quansah all on the books, there isn’t a pressing need for a centre-half and Liverpool certainly won’t spend £60m on one when they are going to have to part with plenty of cash to cover other positions.

A new centre-forward is viewed as a must, while Arne Slot is expected to want new wing-backs on both sides with Trent Alexander-Arnold expected to leave for Real Madrid and Andrew Robertson showing signs of slowing down.

The Reds have been strongly linked with bids for Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong and Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez, deals that could easily cost £50m each. Throw in the cost of a first-rate central striker, and FSG are unlikely to sanction another big splash for a centre-back when it isn’t an urgent need.

With Van Dijk already 33 and perhaps a slightly less consistent performer than he was a few years ago, Liverpool do need to consider the long-term planning required to replace him over time, but that’s not an urgent matter and with Quansah developing, there’s some chance that they already have the answer in front of them.

In short, there is now next to no chance that Liverpool make a big-money move for Guéhi or any other centre-half. That leaves the field a little clearer, and Chelsea’s path to a reunion with a player they probably shouldn’t have sold becomes a little easier still.

Why Chelsea are now clear favourites to sign Marc Guéhi

Chelsea have always had an advantage in the race to sign Guéhi, if they wanted to use it – they reportedly have a 20% sell-on clause baked into the deal that sent the defender to Selhurst Park from Stamford Bridge in the first place.

That has always put them in an advantageous negotiating position, effectively offering them a hefty discount on any fee they agree. If they can haggle Palace down to £50m for a player with just one year left on his contract, for instance, they would only have to pay £40m.

The fact that Guéhi is running down his deal with the Eagles suggests that Palace won’t play hardball, as they did in upping the asking price for Newcastle to £70m at the last minute last summer. This is a deal that Palace will need to get done to avoid missing out on an especially substantial pay cheque.

Making life even easier for Chelsea is the fact that it seems as though Newcastle aren’t planning to come back for a second bite at the cherry – good news when there’s a chance that they, along with Liverpool, could potentially be in a position to offer Champions League football. That’s still something Enzo Maresca’s outfit might not be able to offer.

At this point, it’s not clear whether there will be other serious bidders. Most of the other teams who can rival Chelsea for wealth or prestige are either set at centre-back – as Liverpool now are – or have other priorities. The way forward seems to have been left open by Van Dijk’s new deal.

Chelsea have been linked with other defenders – David Háncko and Jules Koundé are recent favourites of the gossip columnists – so it’s possible that they decide that another player suits Maresca’s system better, or that their financial position makes it impossible to meet the asking price.

But it looks overwhelmingly likely that Chelsea like Guéhi’s combination of quality, relative youth and ability to play in a high line. He’s press resistant, has an acute positional sense and rarely misses a tackle.

In short, Guéhi is a first-rate player who Chelsea can sign at a more affordable price than other sides – and their stiffest potential competition for his signature just stepped out of the way. At this point, it might be more surprising if Guéhi isn’t back in blue by August.