Crystal Palace want £40m Liverpool star as Marc Guehi swap 'not ruled out'

Liverpool may be able to use Harvey Elliott in a swap deal with Crystal Palace to land Marc Guehi. The Reds opened talks earlier this week to sign Palace captain Guehi in the summer transfer window and have been made aware of the possibility of a double deal.

Arne Slot is desperate to bolster his defence after Liverpool leaked a lot of goals in pre-season and the club are working to sign Guehi and Parma defender Giovanni Leoni. Guehi has entered the final year of his Palace contract and looks poised to leave for the defending Premier League champions.

The Reds are hopeful of signing the England international for a fee of around £30million to £35m, while Palace are holding out for £40m. Negotiations have now been complicated by Palace’s interest in Elliott, who is hoping to leave Liverpool in pursuit of regular minutes.

Elliott played 53 times for Slot’s side last season as they won the title, but was generally used off the substitutes’ bench, starting just twice in the Premier League. He made it clear early in the summer transfer window that he would explore his options after growing frustrated with his situation.

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The Sun reports that Palace are keen on the 22-year-old as they consider replacements for Eberechi Eze. The club’s star playmaker is being eyed by Tottenham and Arsenal and Palace know they may be forced to sell after being denied entry to the Europa League.

Spurs are ready to launch a bid for Eze and believe they can sign him ahead of Arsenal, who need to sell players before they can bid. The situation has created a chain of connected transfers.

Liverpool value Elliott at £40m because the midfielder has two years left on his contract. They are happy to sell him as Slot understands his desire to play more regularly as he aims for a place in the England squad for the 2026 World Cup.

Eze has a £68m release clause written into his contract with the Eagles but it is set to expire on Friday. Spurs, who have lost James Maddison to an ACL injury, are not expected to trigger the clause and instead hope to sign the midfielder for below £68m.

Speaking after Palace’s Community Shield win over Liverpool, Palace chairman Steve Parrish said: “Players come and go in football clubs, you know, I mean, it's a life cycle isn't it? Hopefully they're still here. That's what I'd like but we'll see.”

Elliott has also been linked with RB Leipzig, who could use him to replace Chelsea-bound Xavi Simons. Brighton and West Ham have also considered a bid for Elliott, but a move is yet to materialise.

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