Premier League star prepared to snub Liverpool in favour of Real Madrid move

Real Madrid will almost certainly sign a new central defender next summer, given that Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba are expected to leave. They have set their sights on Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate as their leading target, but another free agent option is on their radar: Marc Guehi.

Earlier this week, it was confirmed that Real Madrid have registered their interest in Guehi, who is also wanted by Barcelona. The England international will be a free agent in 2026, given that he has no intention of signing a new deal with Crystal Palace before his current one expires next June.

Guehi has been strongly linked with Liverpool in recent months, and he almost joined them during the final days of the summer transfer window. The Premier League champions are still planning to make a move in 2026, but Real Madrid could foil them once again.

According to The Mirror (via CaughtOffside), Guehi has told his representatives that his desire is to join Real Madrid over the likes of Liverpool and Barcelona. He is said to be excited at the prospect of playing outside of England, and at the Santiago Bernabeu, he would be able to play a lot of minutes alongside the likes of Dean Huijsen and Eder Militao.

It is not ruled out that Real Madrid sign two centre-backs in the event of Rudiger and Alaba leaving, but with Huijsen, Militao, Raul Asencio and Aurelien Tchouameni as centre-back options, as well as the highly-rated Joan Martinez, it is very likely that only one would arrive next summer.

At this stage, Konate is still the favourite, but Los Blancos could very easily pivot to Guehi – especially if the former decides to sign a new contract with Liverpool in the coming months. For now, it remains to be seen how this situation develops.