Marc Guehi reveals how he came close to signing for Liverpool before the transfer window closed.

Marc Guehi, the young English defender, revealed shocking details about how close he was to signing with Liverpool in a transfer that dramatically fell through in 2025. After months of negotiations, the Reds reached a £35 million agreement with Crystal Palace, but the situation turned just under an hour before the transfer window closed, when the Selhurst Park club decided to cancel the deal due to a lack of time to find a suitable replacement.

This twist not only marked Guehi’s future but also had significant repercussions for Liverpool, which now finds itself lamenting a missed opportunity. Recently, Manchester City took advantage of the situation, securing the defender’s services for just £20 million, a decision that left the Anfield hierarchy questioning their choice not to pursue the signing again.

Guehi shared his disturbing experience with the Daily Mail, revealing that he was on the verge of completing his medical exams and had even entered an MRI scanner before Crystal Palace halted the process. “I was very close. Very close. The doctor was practically done and then it was all pulled at the last minute,” the player commented, expressing his discontent with how things unfolded.

Pressure on Liverpool has intensified since that transfer failure. Just three weeks after the collapse of the deal, Giovanni Leoni suffered a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury, leaving coach Arne Slot with only three available centre-backs. To make matters worse, Joe Gomez also found himself sidelined once again after an early exit during the defeat to Bournemouth. With Ibrahima Konaté dealing with personal issues, the club was forced to improvise, using Wataru Endo, a midfielder with little playing time, as a centre-back at a time when the team was trailing 2-0.

In this chaotic context, as Liverpool faces successive crises, Guehi stood out on his debut for Manchester City, contributing to a comfortable victory over Wolverhampton by keeping a clean sheet. The frustration among Liverpool fans regarding the failure of this transfer will linger, but sporting director Richard Hughes now has an urgent mission: to recruit an experienced and ready-to-act centre-back before the team’s problems worsen further.

What could have been a new era for Guehi at Liverpool has turned into a bitter lesson, leaving fans pondering what might have been. Time will tell if the Anfield team can turn the situation around or if they will remain stuck in a past of missed opportunities.