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.
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, especially if top clubs decide it is wiser to wait until July and sign him without paying a transfer fee.
Selling in January would generally fetch less because buying clubs know the player can walk on a free in six months.
Liverpool remain interested in signing the England international defender but they are now joined by Bayern Munich. The Reds sold Luis Diaz to the German giants in the summer transfer window and now they could lose one of their top targets to them.
Guéhi has remained professional throughout the summer transfer window as well as this season. Although he was frustrated to be denied the chance to move to Anfield, he kept himself grounded and continued to perform well.
Next year, he will be a man in demand and top clubs would be waiting to secure his services.
Report: Crystal Palace leading race to sign highly-rated 20-year-old attacker
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!