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REAL MADRID EYES MARC GUEHI TALENT AS LIVERPOOL'S KONATE STAYS DISTANT

Liverpool face a major transfer battle with Real Madrid & Bayern Munich for top centre-backs like Marc Guehi. With key defenders' contracts expiring in 2026, the race for free-agent signings is heating up.

Real Madrid Eyes Marc Guehi Talent as Liverpool's Konate Stays Distant
Real Chooses! Guehi or Konate?

In 2026, Liverpool will compete with Real Madrid for prominent centre-backs in the transfer market. Arne Slot's team is eager to sign a central defender in the upcoming windows but encounters strong competition, particularly from Real and Bayern Munich, who are serious contenders for top-tier players.

On transfer deadline day, Liverpool could not complete a £35 million deal for Marc Guehi and has lost their recent signing, Giovanni Leon, due to an ACL injury. They are now left with limited options in the centre of their defence, with only Joe Gomez available to support Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.

Slot has stated that he will not chase Guehi in the January transfer window, and it is thought that Crystal Palace prefers to lose their captain for free in the summer rather than receive a fee mid-season. Consequently, foreign clubs can negotiate pre-contract arrangements with players like Guehi in January, leaving Liverpool susceptible to offers from other teams.

Like Konate and various other centre-backs, including Bayern's Dayot Upemecano and Real Madrid's Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba, Guehi's contract with Palace is set to expire on June 30. Reports suggest that Real Madrid is focusing on securing free agents as they are not looking to pay for a new centre-back, resulting in a crowded market, as noted by The Times.

This situation largely stems from their £50 million investment in Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth last summer, coupled with the anticipated addition of 18-year-old Joan Martínez. The Spanish giants hope he can achieve success comparable to Raul Asensio, but they are still seeking a high-profile free agent.

Palace recognises that Guehi will leave the club for free in the summer since he will not renew his contract. Despite earlier speculation that Real may struggle financially to sign him, he is in a favourable position and has the opportunity to choose from top European clubs.

According to AS, Guehi's salary and signing-on fee may be too steep for Real, yet his status as an England international and a successful player in the Premier League could influence the decision. Additionally, the presence of Jude Bellingham and Trent Alexander-Arnold already in Madrid may serve as an advantage.

Bayern has shown interest in Guehi as well. While director of sport Max Eberl met with his representatives in Munich, sporting director Christoph Freund discussed the defender with Palace manager Oliver Glasner.

Another potential target is Nico Schlotterbeck of Borussia Dortmund. The German international has emerged as a likely alternative to Guehi for Liverpool and is hesitant to extend his contract with Dortmund.

BRUNO SALTOR OFFICIALLY JOINS TOTTENHAM AS ASSISTANT COACH FOR THE NORTH LONDON DERBY

Tottenham appoints Bruno Saltor! Discover the new coaching team under Igor Tudor and the departures following Thomas Frank's exit.

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Tottenham Confirm Bruno Saltor as Assistant Coach Under Igor Tudor

Tottenham Hotspur just shook up their coaching staff, bringing in Bruno Saltor, a guy who’s worked with Chelsea and West Ham in the past.

Saltor’s stepping in alongside interim boss Igor Tudor until the season wraps up. Spurs let go of Thomas Frank earlier this month, and, like Manchester United, they’ve decided to go with a temporary setup for now and figure out the bigger picture in the summer.

Tudor, who’s managed clubs like Marseille, Lazio, and Juventus, is set to take charge for the first time this weekend in the North London derby against Arsenal. Saltor will be in the dugout for his first Spurs match, too.

If you’ve followed Saltor’s career, you might know he’s often worked with Graham Potter. That’s how he ended up at both Chelsea and West Ham. When Potter left Chelsea in 2023, Saltor took over as interim head coach. His one match in charge ended in a 0-0 draw with Liverpool. Frank Lampard replaced him soon after, and Saltor stayed on as part of the coaching staff until Mauricio Pochettino arrived, at which point he moved on. He later reunited with Potter at West Ham but left when Potter did in September.

Tottenham’s official statement confirmed the news: “Following the arrival of Igor Tudor as Head Coach until the end of the season, we can now confirm the appointment of three additional coaches to our Men’s First Team coaching staff. We welcome Bruno Saltor as Igor's assistant coach." Born in El Masnou, Spain, Saltor started his playing career in his home country before joining Brighton in 2012. He made 235 appearances there over seven years, then moved into coaching with the Seagulls after retiring in 2019. Since then, he’s picked up experience at Chelsea and West Ham.

Along with Saltor’s appointment, Spurs also announced some departures. Justin Cochrane, John Heitinga, and Chris Haslam are all leaving the coaching staff after Frank’s exit. The club thanked them for their efforts and wished them well.

GLASNER OUT? CRYSTAL PALACE CONSIDERING IMMEDIATE EXIT FOR BOSS AFTER DISMAL EUROPEAN DRAW

Oliver Glasner’s exit is imminent! Discover why Robbie Keane has emerged as the favorite to lead Crystal Palace out of crisis.

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Odds crash on Robbie Keane becoming the next Crystal Palace manager.

Oliver Glasner was supposed to stick around at Crystal Palace until the end of the season. That was the plan, anyway. But after another rough run of results, his exit could come a lot sooner.

Thursday night in Bosnia should’ve been nothing special, just a routine first leg against a team Palace should handle easily, with the real test back at Selhurst Park next week. Instead, a 1-1 draw against Zrinjski Mostar turned into another mess in a season that’s gotten uglier by the week for Glasner and Palace.

The travelling fans didn’t hide how they felt.

Palace have only managed one win in their last 15 games. That’s not a blip; it’s a full-on collapse, and it looks like Glasner’s time might be up even faster than everyone thought.

People at the top of the club have started openly asking if letting Glasner finish out his contract is actually hurting more than helping. He said back in January that he’d leave when his deal was up in the summer, but with results falling off a cliff and morale at rock bottom, those discussions have picked up speed.

Word is, Palace have already started looking for Glasner’s replacement, planning for a summer hire. But now, it looks like they might bring in his successor right away.

One name has shot straight to the top of the list: Robbie Keane.

TalkSPORT’s Alex Crook says Palace are considering Keane as a short-term fix if Glasner goes before the season ends. Keane’s reputation has soared lately. He won the Israeli Premier League with Maccabi Tel Aviv, then took the Hungarian league title in his first season at Ferencváros.

His win rate at Maccabi was over 73 per cent. He’s also done time as an assistant coach at Leeds and Middlesbrough. People who’ve played for him, like Ireland’s Callum O’Dowda, rave about him. O’Dowda said, “As soon as he opens his mouth, you want to listen. It’s phenomenal, really. On the coaching side,e he has been good.”

For now, Keane is still in charge at Ferencvaros, who are still in the Europa League, so prying him away won’t be simple.

Palace sit 13th in the Premier League, eight points clear of the relegation zone, but that gap feels less safe with every week they fail to win.

Tottenham even considered Keane as an interim manager before they went with Igor Tudor.

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