Liverpool will need to be 'delicate' to Palace to strike Guehi deal

Marc Guehi officially enters the final 12 months of his Crystal Palace contract on Tuesday and interest is building.

As you would imagine, there are a number of teams keen on taking advantage of the situation.

Liverpool appear to be emerging as strong contenders for the centre-back but there are various factors that will prove crucial in whether they take steps to formalise their interest.

Palace's valuation of a player who can leave for nothing next summer will be pivotal.

If Liverpool don't view Guehi's price as reasonable, don't be surprised to see them park their interest for 12 months and look to strike a free-transfer agreement.

There is no official word on what Palace would be prepared to accept for their skipper. There have been indications, though, that they may be willing accept a deal worth between £40m and £45m.

The issue, however, would be whether Liverpool see it that way.

Liverpool's preferred profile for a centre-back in recent years has been younger than the Palace centre-back so they will be looking for what they judge as value to change their approach.

With Liverpool set to sell centre-back Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth up to £35m, there is logic to the thought the Merseysiders could aim to break even in any formal bid for Guehi.

Perhaps they'd be willing to pay a little extra over the money they recoup for Quansah - but not by much.

It's a delicate balance.

If Palace value Guehi at a price the Premier League champions deem fair, and Liverpool enter the discussions at a figure the Londoners don't perceive as 'low-balling', then that could open the door towards a successful and amicable negotiation.

With that in mind, the first point of formal contact between clubs will likely be crucial towards whether Guehi ends up at Anfield.