Gary Lineker tells Marc Guehi what to do after Liverpool move collapses

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Liverpool were one of the most talked about clubs throughout the summer transfer window, leading right up to the 7pm deadline.

The Reds signed Alexander Isak for a British transfer record £125 million from Newcastle United to take their spending to approximately £450m.

It has certainly proved to be one of the most exciting transfer windows in recent memory across the Premier League but the champions have blown every other side out of the water with the business they have conducted.

However, Liverpool agreed a £35m deal for Marc Guehi on deadline day and the Crystal Palace captain looked set to follow Isak to Anfield after he completed a medical in London to ensure there were no further delays.

But after a deal sheet was submitted to complete the transfer, the Eagles pulled the plug on the deal at the final stages and now Gary Lineker has told Guehi what the best course of action is for the player as he remains at Selhurst Park.

Marc Guehi has been told to see out his Crystal Palace contract

When discussing the transfer fiasco on The Rest Is Football podcast, Lineker suggested Guehi would be better suited seeing out the remainder of his deal at Selhurst Park as opposed to reigniting his Liverpool move in January.

“I did feel a bit for Marc Guehi, though, he seemingly behaved admirably and didn’t get his move. Now, I also categorically expect him to pitch up next week very stoically, probably remain captain.

“Now if I were him, if I were him now, I wouldn’t try to get the move in January, I would not wait until the end of my contract, which is next summer, and go on a free. Because they’ve used him a little bit, there’s no question about that.

“I mean to take it that far, to go almost on the brink, he probably almost signed the contract, and then to be pulled back was tough on him. But he’ll get a better deal for himself next summer, certainly financially, who knows whether Liverpool will still be in for him at that point?

“Somebody will because he’s a class act, and they also know he’s a player they can trust as a human being, and I think that is very important.”

Sources informed TBR Football that Oliver Glasner convinced Steve Parish not to sell Guehi and went as far as to suggest he would walk away from Selhurst Park if the captain was sold.

Liverpool were aware that Palace needed to sign a suitable replacement before the deal could be finalised, and the transfer was hanging in the balance after Igor Julio’s move to Crystal Palace collapsed.

This was, in turn, due to Chelsea’s Axel Disasi rejecting West Ham, which set off a domino effect resulting in Palace pulling the plug on Guehi’s move to the Reds at the final stages.

Liverpool will return for Marc Guehi in 2026

With Joe Gomez not leaving on deadline day, Arne Slot will be content with his squad depth at centre-back despite not adding Guehi to the ranks.

The Dutchman ideally would like two options for each position, and with Giovanni Leoni arriving at Anfield this summer, he does, in fact, have enough options to rotate the squad.

However, Liverpool reportedly spent weeks haggling with Palace over the final details of the transfer fee for Guehi, and it is hard to imagine the clubs coming to an agreement on a reduced fee in January.

Therefore, it is more likely that the Reds will wait until his contract in South London expires and hope they have done enough to convince the player to move to Anfield once the inevitable swarm of Premier League and European clubs enter the frame for his services.