The intriguing transfer clause development that could see Liverpool land £70m key target

Following the departure of Jurgen Klopp, the footballing world expected to see major changes unfold at Liverpool. As the end of the German’s iconic era drew to a close, reports on how the new team could look were rapidly doing the rounds.

Several senior players were linked to summer sales and with the return of Michael Edwards and arrival of new sporting director Richard Hughes, many were waiting for an extremely busy summer to unfold. The likes of Joe Gomez, Luis Díaz and Caoimhin Kelleher had been attracting interest from rival clubs, while Liverpool had been credited with serious interest in Martín Zubimendi, Anthony Gordon and Marc Guehi among others.

The latter became one of the window’s most sought-after players following his impressive campaign with Crystal Palace, which earned him a spot at Euro 2024 with England. Not only were Liverpool chasing his signature but they also had competition from Manchester United and Newcastle.

Despite the widespread interest, the Eagles were able to keep hold of their star defender. They even turned down a bid of £70 million lodged by Eddie Howe’s side, who became the frontrunners to sign Guehi in the final stages of the window. According to Sky Sports, Palace knocked back a fourth offer from Newcastle, who responded almost immediately to a previously rejected £65 million approach.

After playing hardball over the centre-back, Crystal Palace are now looking to open talks over a new contract for Guehi. However, this could actually fall in Liverpool’s favour, as they are still quoted with interest in the England international.

A new update from Football Insider reports that Guehi and his representatives will ‘insist’ on a release clause being included in any potential new deal pitched by the Eagles. His current contract is due to expire in 2026 and while Palace are keen to tie him down, the inclusion of a release clause could open an avenue for others to continue their pursuit.

The report claims that any buyout clause is expected to be above the club’s previous valuation of £70 million. While a fixed fee has not yet been hinted at, the idea of a release clause will almost certainly have rival clubs with their ears to the ground, as it could be the perfect opportunity to revisit the chase for Guehi.

A similar scenario played out with former Eagles star Michael Olise. The winger, who was also on Liverpool’s radar, had a buyout clause inserted into his previous contract at Selhurst Park, which was eventually activated by Bayern Munich. After much speculation over his future, and plenty of links to stay in the Premier League, the Bundesliga giants signed him at the start of the transfer window for €60 million (£50m).

Thanks to the summer sales of the likes of Olise, Joachim Andersen and Sam Johnstone, Palace were able to pocket a significant amount of cash, but they also lost some influential player, so it’s easy to understand their reluctance to also offload Guehi. However, these coming stages of a new contract could bring back this summer’s interest in the 24-year-old.