As Liverpool’s centre-back problem continues to become one of Arne Slot’s biggest concerns, scouts have now reportedly told Michael Edwards to sign a Marc Guehi alternative.
Liverpool's centre-back problem
For all the £400m that they spent in the summer, Liverpool still had one glaring problem when the deadline passed and that came at centre-back. Edwards and Richard Hughes remained stubborn on their stance that it was Guehi or nothing, which very nearly worked in their favour. The Crystal Palace defender was hours away from becoming a Liverpool player, only for Crystal Palace to pull the plug and leave the Reds hanging.
Without the England international, Liverpool were left to fall back on Virgil van Diijk, Ibrahima Konate, an injury-prone Joe Gomez and the young Giovanni Leoni. It looked destined to become one of their biggest problems and Leoni’s season-ending ACL injury has since sparked further concern that Slot could be forced to turn towards some auxiliary options.
What also hasn’t helped that problem is the form of Konate. The Frenchman, who has less than 12 months remaining on his current contract, has been far from his best and was guilty of a number of errors in back-to-back defeats against Crystal Palace and Galatasaray.
With Real Madrid sniffing around and contract talks ongoing without a resolution, Konate’s performances come at the wrong time in front of those at Anfield. After Leoni’s injury, however, Slot can only turn to Gomez if he wants to drop the defender.
It’s a problem that the Reds are likely to solve in 2026, but that may not see Guehi arrive. Instead, scouts are reportedly telling Edwards to sign an unexpected option.
Liverpool scouts tell Edwards to sign Lacroix
As reported by Football Insider, Liverpool scouts are now telling Edwards to sign Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace and not Guehi. Those at Anfield have even dubbed the French defender a “Rolls-Royce” and believe that he is quietly one of the best centre-backs that the Premier League has to offer.
It would be an incredible blow for Palace, who would likely lose Guehi to another side even if Liverpool decide to pursue Lacroix. As for those at Anfield, they’d be signing an underrated part of the Eagles’ current 19-game unbeaten run in all competitions.
Starts
6
6
Progressive Passes
8
23
Successful Aerial Duels
17
13
Ball Recoveries
16
19
When compared, it’s easy to see why Palace are 19 games unbeaten in all competitions. Lacroix and Guehi have formed one of the most impressive partnerships in the Premier League this season, but Liverpool can only pick one.
Edwards and Hughes will already know Guehi well, although there’s no denying that Lacroix is worth taking a look at. With growing interest in the former elsewhere, the Reds could surprise everyone by signing the latter in 2026.