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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.

VAR REVIEW: CHELSEA 2-2 BOURNEMOUTH, ESTêVãO PENALTY DRAMA EXPLAINED! WAS IT A FOUL OR A DIVE

Explaining the VAR: How an 11th-minute penalty check at Stamford Bridge saved a point for Chelsea against a resilient Bournemouth.

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Antoine Semenyo’s clumsy challenge handed Chelsea a vital lifeline

Every week, the Video Assistant Referee stirs up drama in the Premier League. Let's break down how these calls are made and if they're actually right.

This season, we're digging into the big moments to explain the VAR process and the rules of the game.

What went down: Chelsea's Estêvão was moving into the Bournemouth box, with Antoine Semenyo on his tail. Estêvão went down after some contact with Semenyo. The ref, Barrott, waved off Chelsea's penalty shouts, saying there wasn't a foul. He thought both players made contact naturally as they were running, and Estêvão basically tripped himself.

VAR said, "After looking at it, VAR Pawson suggested Barrott take another look at the monitor for a possible penalty because Semenyo might have tripped Estêvão."

VAR's take: Pawson had to figure out if the contact was just part of the play, like the ref thought, or if Semenyo fouled Estêvão. It was clear Estêvão tripped, but the question was how the contact started.

At first glance, it would be hard for Pawson to disagree with the ref because the main TV angle wasn't clear. But after checking out the sideline and behind views, Pawson saw that Semenyo stepped into Estêvão's path, making enough contact with his leg to cause him to trip.

Pawson told Barrott to check the monitor for a possible penalty. Barrott watched the replays, agreed, and gave Chelsea the penalty.

The call: It was a reasonable VAR call based on today's standards. But it's a borderline case.

Barrott seemed unsure of the monitor and needed some convincing from different angles.

A lot of the time, this kind of contact is just from players running normally, and someone goes down. To give a penalty, there really needs to be a clear foul by the defender. You could say that happened here, but it's a pretty low standard for VAR to get involved.

Chelsea 2-2 AFC Bournemouth

Referee: Sam Barrott

VAR: Craig Pawson

What: VAR check for a foul in the box

When: 11th minute

BREAKING: UNAI EMERY REVEALS THE REAL REASON BEHIND HIS COLD ARTETA HANDSHAKE SNUB NOW

Unai Emery explains why he skipped the post-match handshake as Arsenal’s 4-1 win ends Aston Villa’s 11-game streak at the Emirates.

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Emery snubs Arteta's handshake

Unai Emery said he didn't shake Mikel Arteta's hand right after Aston Villa lost at the Emirates Stadium since the Arsenal manager kept him waiting.

This loss stopped Villa's winning streak at 11 games, their first in almost two months.

Villa held their own in the first half, but Arsenal scored early in the second when Gabriel got to the ball before Emi Martinez on a corner.

Martin Zubimendi quickly made it 2-0, and Leandro Trossard scored a third goal a little after an hour had passed.

Soon after entering the pitch, Gabriel Jesus scored, making it 4-0. Ollie Watkins was able to respond by tapping in a goal late in the game after Donyell Malen's nice play.

After the game, Emery waited to shake Arteta's hand, but he went to the locker room since Arteta was still celebrating with his team.

It’s easy to see. I like to do things fast,” Emery said when asked about why he didn’t shake Arteta’s hand.

“I shake hands, then I go to the dressing room with my players and coaches. I was waiting.

“Arteta was busy with his coaches, so I went inside. It’s not a big deal for me.”

About the match, Emery commented, “We played great in the first half, and things were going our way. We had corners and defended well. We didn’t let them get a corner in the first half.

“We felt good, but we let in the first goal in the second half. Onana getting hurt didn’t help since he’s important for set pieces and in the midfield.

“We didn’t quit, and we kept playing hard. We scored one goal and almost scored more. Arsenal is the best team in the league and should win the title.

“I’m not sure which day it is since we’ve played Arsenal twice already, and we still have to play Nottingham. But I’m happy with our goals and how we're trying to attain them.

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