Liverpool news: Harry Kane transfer raised as Arne Slot faced with major headache

Liverpool may be marching on with five wins out of five in the Premier League but their season hit a stumbling block on Tuesday night. Despite the Redsbeating Southampton 2-1in the Carabao Cup third round, Arne Slot lost his teenage defender Geovanni Leoni to a long-term injury.

Leoni only signed for Liverpool from Parma this summer and the clash against the Saints was his first start for the club. A commanding performance from the 18-year-old was brought to a premature end as he was forced off with a serious-looking injury in with less than ten minutes to go.

Liverpool now face a tough challenge against Crystal Palace on Saturday with the Eagles also unbeaten so far this season. They will also travel to Selhurst Park without Hugo Ekitike, who was sent off in bizarre circumstancesat Anfield on Tuesday.

With a potential centre-back crisis brewing, former Manchester United star Roy Keane having his say over Liverpool's chances of retaining the Premier League title and talk of what Harry Kane could bring to the Reds, we take a look at all the latest news coming out of Anfield.

Harry Kane to Liverpool shut down

Kane may well be laying siege to the Bundesliga but ex-Man United star Gary Neville doesn't believe the striker would see Anfield as a viable option should he leave Bayern Munich.

READ MORE: Hugo Ekitike faces huge Liverpool fine after 'stupid' Southampton red card

READ MORE: Liverpool forced into Alexander Isak U-turn as Arne Slot plans major changes

The England captain finally lifted his first trophy last season for the Bavarians and has already recorded nine Bundesliga hat-tricks in fewer than 70 matches. Neville had been discussing possible destinations for the England captain and brushed over Arne Slot's side without a second thought.

"He’s definitely not going to go to Liverpool," Neville said. "If he goes to United, there’s not a guarantee he’s going to win something. City have got Haaland. And can he go to Arsenal, or [I should say] he can’t go to Arsenal. And can he go to Chelsea?”

While Neville didn't explicitly say why Kane wouldn't join Liverpool, the club's transfer business this summer put paid to any suggestion the ex-Spurs forward would find his way to Merseyside.

Liverpool hope that new signings Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike will be able to lead the frontline for years to come. With Kane turning 33 next summer, Liverpool would no doubt balk at the idea of having to pay out a big contract for a player in his advancing years, the contracts handed out to Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk last season notwithstanding.

Roy Keane doubles down

Roy Keane has reiterated his thoughts that Arsenal will win the Premier League this season. The Gunners are currently five points behind the Reds with Liverpool having beaten Arsenal at Anfield already this season.

Speaking on The Overlap podcast, Keane said: "I’d like to go with Liverpool now, but I still think if Liverpool get one or two injured centre halves there could still be a dip for Liverpool, no doubt about it.”

Speaking ahead of Arsenal's 1-1 draw with Manchester City, Keane also insisted that Mikel Arteta's side have what it takes to win the Premier League this year.

"If you're looking at both squads, you're thinking Arsenal probably are going to be the nearest rivals to Liverpool," he said. "Over the last few years, every time I've seen City at Arsenal, in terms of trying to win the league title, I've never felt Arsenal had enough, had enough strength in depth, obviously lacked that striker. I look at Arsenal's group of players now... I think they certainly have the players capable of winning the league."

Leoni injury and Guehi heartache

Liverpool's failed pursuit of Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi could be coming back to haunt the club. A suspected ACL injury suffered by young defender Leonihas further underlined Liverpool's need for defensive reinforcements and could even force them to accelerate plans to bring Guehi in.

However, it's believed that Guehi has no issues waiting until next summer, where he will have his pick of clubs as a free agent. While Liverpool reportedly remain confident, the England star is said to be on Real Madrid's radar.

Los Blancos are in the market for a new centre-back next summer and have already been linked to Liverpool's Ibrahima Konate. Their search for a new defender looks to have been narrowed to Guehi or Konate with former target, Arsenal's William Saliba, set to sign a new deal in north London.

Losing Konate to Spain next summer on a free transfer would then see Liverpool requiring two centre-halves for next season.

Yet with Guehi able to listen to offers from across Europe, there's no guarantee that he will now join the Reds, meaning Liverpool may have to reboot their search for defensive reinforcements from scratch, giving Slot quite the headache.

Join our new WhatsApp communityand receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.