Marc Guéhi travelled to Liverpool and was reported to have undergone a medical as talks with the Reds progressed, but Crystal Palace pulled the plug on the move at the final hour because they could not secure a suitable replacement.

That late collapse has left the England international, who is out of contract next summer, with a host of options, and clubs such as Bayern Munich are already probing his availability.

Liverpool submitted a formal bid for Guéhi, and for a period it genuinely appeared the centre-back would make the jump to Anfield but Palace’s decision to withdraw from the talks changed everything and the transfer collapsed minutes before the deadline.

Bayern Munich interested in Crystal Palace defender

A number of other clubs are now lining up to sign Guéhi next year and one of them are Bayern Munich, according to Sky Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg.

That interest shows how quickly a collapsed transfer can turn into a bidding competition, or, given Guéhi’s contract situation, a free-transfer race next summer.

Guéhi’s contract runs down at the end of the current campaign. By keeping hold of him for now they have preserved on-field strength, but they have also, arguably, sacrificed the ability to command premium fees,...