Liverpool ‘near personal terms’ with fifth signing after Kerkez as Reds plan to hijack Chelsea for sixth…

Liverpool is reportedly close to finalizing personal terms for their fifth signing following Kerkez, as the Reds aim to outmaneuver Chelsea for a sixth player.

The club is said to be nearing a verbal agreement with Marc Guehi, positioning themselves ahead of Chelsea in the pursuit of the center-back and a winger from Ligue 1.

The transfer window has been quite successful for the Reds, with Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez set to undergo a medical after the acquisitions of Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen.

However, the club’s management may face a potential center-back dilemma as the impending transfer of Jarell Quansah to Leverkusen raises concerns about Ibrahima Konate’s future.

The 26-year-old has turned down an initial contract extension from the club, expressing disappointment with the terms offered.

He is seeking a higher base salary, and with Real Madrid monitoring the situation, sporting director Richard Hughes may need to look for a replacement.

Fortunately, Liverpool seems to be making significant strides in their efforts to secure Guehi from Crystal Palace, ahead of Chelsea and other competitors for the England international.

Self-identified ‘transfer insider’ Valentin Furlan has reported that the Reds are close to reaching an agreement on personal terms with the 24-year-old and may acquire him at a reduced price.

He shared on X: ‘There is an internal consensus at Crystal Palace that the club might have to accept a £45M offer for Marc Guéhi, according to myself and @RudyGaletti.

Palace no longer anticipates exceeding the £60M threshold, as previously mentioned, due to his contract situation. Liverpool is nearing a verbal agreement on personal terms, as reported.’

In another setback for Chelsea, reports suggest that Liverpool is ‘prepared’ to intercept the Blues in the competition for Lyon star Malick Fofana, with transfer expert Sacha Tavolieri asserting that they are ‘ahead’ of Chelsea in the pursuit of the 20-year-old, who had an impressive season with eleven goals and six assists for the Ligue 1 team last year.

Liverpool’s head of recruitment, Barry Hunter, is reportedly a ‘fan’ of Fofana, indicating that they are ‘genuinely interested’ in him.

The Reds are eager to act swiftly to secure his signing before others do, while Lyon is aiming to obtain a ‘crazy’ fee. Tavolieri elaborates:

‘With a valuation of fifty million euros, Olympique Lyonnais is hoping for a bidding war to elevate the price of its Belgian talent to seventy million — an outrageous amount, significantly above his actual worth, but potentially attainable if the strategy devised by the player’s management team succeeds.

‘As the primary candidate to take over Federico Chiesa’s position on the left wing, Malick Fofana could seamlessly transition to Liverpool as a backup for Luis Diaz, who is anticipated to stay at Anfield for the upcoming season.

Although there have been no substantial talks regarding personal terms yet, the surge of wingers in the transfer market may compel Liverpool to present an initial offer promptly to prevent being outpaced by competitors in the transfer market.’

In addition to Frimpong, Wirtz, and Kerkez, Liverpool has also acquired 20-year-old goalkeeper Armin Pecsi from Puskas AFC for £1.5m.