Liverpool failed to secure an over-the-line £35m signing for Marc Guehi in the summer and will face plenty of competition to sign the Crystal Palace defender in the coming months
Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has suggested the club would prefer to lose Marc Guehi for free at the end of the season rather than sell him in the January transfer window. It was Parish who made his £35m deadline day move to Liverpool happen, and he has now explained Palace’s position.
Guehi was set to leave for Liverpool, but Palace changed their mind and released their captain after they were unable to find a replacement. The England star had been keen on a move to Anfield but has continued to play at a high level for Palace this season.
He will leave Palace in 2026 and his contract expires in the summer, but his transfer destination and departure date have not yet been determined. Liverpool have expressed interest from Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Barcelona, as well as some of Europe’s biggest teams, but nothing has been decided yet.
Bayern and the Spanish club have the advantage of being able to talk to Guehi in January about a free transfer in July. And it appears Palace have no interest in earning a fee in the new year, instead wishing to offer Guehi’s services until the end of the 2025/26 campaign.
read more: Alan Shearer sheds tears for Liverpool stars as Arne Slott decision comes under fire – ‘wake-up call’read more: Liverpool and Manchester United receive message from £75m transfer target – ‘delighted’
“We needed to keep Marc because the difference between having a great season and having a season in danger of being relegated is winning five games,” Parrish told Men in Blazers.
“So the gap in the Premier League is very tight and we have to remember that if Michael (Olise) leaves, we are fine, if Ebus (Eberechi Eze) leaves, we are fine, if Wilfried (Zaha) leaves, we are fine. There are limits to how long you can go on like that before you destroy the structure of the team.”
Liverpool are in dire need of reinforcements in their defense after losing summer signing Giovanni Leoni to an anterior cruciate ligament injury. They have lost six of their last seven games in all competitions ahead of Saturday’s game against Aston Villa, and the idea of Guehi leaving again in January may appeal to Arne Slott and the club’s hierarchy.
Given the foundation they have laid and the interest in Guehi’s addition, the Reds are probably still in pole position for the 25-year-old, but they could end up regretting Parish’s decision on deadline day if a rival swoops in.
“It was a very last-minute decision,” Parrish added. “Marc was a great person. Liverpool made us an offer. It was a big club and he was obviously interested in leaving. But if it was the decision we had made, he could have stayed.”
“Obviously, that means as a player the ball is all in his court and he can choose where he wants to go. It was a very difficult game, but I think it was definitely the right game.”
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