Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal have all been linked with a move for Marc Gehi, but with Josep Guardiola’s side snatching advances from their rivals, the chances of a deal going through are increasing.
Man City are set to win the race to sign Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehy (Image: Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Manager Pep Guardiola is inching closer to signing Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehy on a big deal. Manchester City are working hard to secure a deal worth around £30 million and are currently in talks with Palace and the England defender.
Palace manager Oliver Glasner has confirmed that his move is in the final stages, giving City a major boost to their title bid. They are hoping to beat Liverpool and Bayern Munich to a deal and hope to achieve that, but Arsenal also have an interest in Gehi becoming a free agent at the end of the season.
City manager Guardiola has been keen to strengthen his defensive options this month, with Ruben Dias and Yoshko Gvardiol out injured and John Stones undergoing treatment.
Guehi, 25, has just six months left on his contract with Palace but has made it clear he will not sign a new deal after his move to Liverpool fell through on the final day of the summer deadline.
read more: Michael Carrick promotes Man United youngster to first team on eve of match against Man Cityread more: Transfer News LIVE: Man United confident of signing £100m star, Liverpool facing two departures, Aston Villa making sudden return
Mirror Sports revealed on September 15 that City were the frontrunners to sign Guehi, but he was expected to become a free agent this summer.
However, as first reported by the Mirror on January 8th, City have brought their interest forward, having already signed Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth for £64m, and are ready to spend big again this month. This is a major statement from City, and Gehi’s fee would have to be truly amazing to get it over the line.
With just six months left on Guehi’s contract, he could easily earn a huge contract as a free agent while also receiving picks from his European clubs.
Guehi now looks likely to leave Palace during the January period (Image: Stuart Leggett/NurPhoto)
City are therefore in a position to offer him a bigger contract, reflecting the amount he could have earned in the summer as a free agent. It would also be an unprecedented amount for a player who only has six months left on his contract.
Palace were reluctant to sell and were asking around £40m, but City are now prepared to make a deal well below that valuation.
Guehi will miss Palace’s game against Sunderland at the weekend, with Glasner then set to leave the club at the end of the season.
He said: “My latest understanding is that the contract with Marc is in its final stages… I can’t confirm it with the club because the contract hasn’t been finalized yet, but it is in its final stages and as a result Marc will not be playing for us tomorrow.”
It certainly looks like a deal is coming, and given that Liverpool have agreed for £35m plus add-ons with one year left in the summer, it’s a remarkable sum for Guehi.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can always check out. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
