Overview

• Palace’s decision to lower their valuation follows earlier bids of up to £65m from Newcastle and Tottenham.
• Liverpool’s reluctance to engage in drawn-out negotiations has made them cautious about matching Palace’s current fee.
• The Reds’ defensive depth is stretched after selling Jarell Quansah and with Joe Gomez nursing an Achilles injury and Ibrahima Konaté in a contract year.
• If Palace reject lower bids, they risk losing their captain without compensation next summer.
• Early reports indicate Liverpool could open talks with a proposal around £30m supplemented by performance-related add-ons.