An agent involved in the negotiations surrounding Hugo Ekitiké says the striker was set to join Newcastle United before Liverpool intervened.

Ali Barat, who says he worked on behalf of Eintracht Frankfurt, described a process he considered complete until a late contact from Liverpool changed the outcome. “I was working on behalf of Eintracht Frankfurt to bring him to Newcastle ,” Barat told Tuttosport . “I stayed in Germany for 10 days. We agreed everything with the German club and the player, then Liverpool called him and he chose Anfield.” Barat added that the Reds were only hours away from missing out on the French forward, and that Isak would ultimately end up at Anfield as well.

The Ekitiké story was not isolated. Florian Wirtz rejected an expected move to Bayern Munich and instead completed a £116 million ($156.6 million) transfer to Anfield, according to the report. Bayern honorary president Uli Hoeneß spoke on Doppelpass about his club’s business and took aim at rivals over several signings.

Hoeneß referenced Newcastle’s spending on Nick Woltemade, accusing them of using “Monopoly money” to secure that signature, and then turned his attention to the Wirtz deal. “We’re very satisfied at FC Bayern,”” Hoeneß began. “We are the real winners of the summer transfer window. We have a strong team and didn’t need to strengthen it much.

“Of course, we would have liked to have Florian Wirtz, but we’d never have bought him for €150 million.”

The account from Barat reinforces how quickly transfer situations can change when multiple clubs engage late in negotiations. In this case, what Barat describes as an almost-finalised agreement with Eintracht and Newcastle was overturned when Liverpool made a late approach and the player opted for Anfield.

Liverpool have decided not to reopen talks to sign Crystal Palace centre back Marc Guéhi in January, sources say, even as uncertainty surrounds Ibrahima Konaté’s future at Anfield. Guéhi is in the final year of his contract and is not expected to sign a new deal with Palace. His club’s decision to block a previous move to Liverpool is believed to have left him frustrated.

Overseas clubs can approach Guéhi over a free transfer from January, with Barcelona and Real Madrid among the clubs touted as potential suitors. If Liverpool were to pursue him in the winter window they would again need to agree a fee with Palace, but The Times report that Liverpool have ruled out paying a transfer fee for a player who wants to join and is approaching the end of his contract. The club are said to prefer waiting until the summer to try to sign Guéhi on a free transfer.

The Telegraph add that within Anfield there is a sense some of the external speculation is aimed at pressuring Liverpool into action in January. The club’s stance mirrors the situation they face with Ibrahima Konaté. Konaté is also in the final year of his contract and attempts to secure an extension have so far been unsuccessful.

Konaté is a known target for Real Madrid and was asked whether Kylian Mbappé had been speaking to him about a move to the Santiago Bernabéu. “He calls me every two hours!” Konaté joked in an interview with Téléfoot, in which he also insisted he does not speak Spanish. Madrid, like Liverpool over Guéhi, are thought to be willing to wait until next summer to pursue Konaté on a free transfer, while the Reds remain frustrated by the loss of Trent Alexander-Arnold to the 15-time Champions League winners a few months ago.

England manager Thomas Tuchel has commended Marc Guéhi for his temperament after a proposed move to Liverpool fell through on Deadline Day.

The centre back had been understood to be close to joining Liverpool in the final hours of the summer window, but Crystal Palace withdrew from the deal when they could not identify a replacement in time. Guéhi remains under contract at Selhurst Park but is widely expected to depart by next summer when his deal expires.

Guéhi travelled with the England squad for the international double-header against Andorra and Serbia and, according to Tuchel, has shown no sign of disruption in camp. “We had a chat with him,” Tuchel told reporters on Friday. “He looks absolutely fine. Very impressive on the field. He’s the main driver of Palace’s success, captain and the leader. He’s continued this in camp [with England]. He handles it with respect and grace and a brilliant attitude.”

Tuchel’s assessment underlines that Guéhi has remained focused on his performances for club and country despite the uncertainty surrounding his future.

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner had been public about the club’s stance before the deadline, emphasising the difficulty of finding an immediate replacement and the value Guéhi brings to the side. “I told the chairman we have to keep Marc if we want to play a successful season. We have no chance to find the right replacement in one day [before the transfer deadline]. We all agreed that we just sell Marc if we have the right replacement in the building,” Glasner told BBC Sport last weekend.

For now, the matter rests with Guéhi, Palace and any potential suitors. Tuchel’s comments reflect a view that the player has navigated the setback professionally and that his immediate attention remains on contributing in England colours and for his club while discussions about his longer-term future continue.