Mark Guech is receiving medical care in London as he prepares for a £35 million move from Crystal Palace to Liverpool during the transfer deadline. The Premier League champion filed a £35 million bid earlier this month, including a 10% sell clause, despite the FA Cup winner initially leasing a £40 million deal for defenders.
According to Liverpool Echo, the two clubs have now reached an agreement and have cleared the way Guehi will complete medical care and complete his transition to Liverpool. Palace manager Oliver Grasner was keen to keep his captain up for the next season, but with Guehi’s contract at Selhurst Park only 12 months left, the club felt there was little option other than negotiating.
Joe Gomez was mentioned as a possible part of Gehi’s contract, but Liverpool was not interested in breaking up with a temporary, multi-purpose, long-term defender.
Glasner repeated his stance that Guehi was not allowed to leave without proper replacements. Following Sunday’s 3-0 victory over Aston Villa, Guehi scored a prominent goal, Glasner said:
“And I wanted to become independent of this situation and have this alternative at the beginning of the season.
“This is July 9th, and today is August 31st, and there is no replacement for the building, so it is clear that some of the contracts are not met, meaning they cannot sell the mark.
“And that’s not for Oliver Glasner. It’s not a gift or wish for Oliver Glasner. It’s necessary to play a successful season. We’ve got off to a great start.
“And if we don’t sell Mark, Mark will accept it. He loves Crystal Palace, so he loves the team, we feel the gratitude he has, and he feels the same from his side.”
Searching for defensive reinforcements at Crystal Palace is underway throughout the summer. Early on, Sporting’s Ousmane Diomande was identified as an important target, but negotiations for Toulouse’s young talent, Jaydee Canvot, are reportedly on track.
Interest has been attracting attention from the palace of Evan Ndica in Rome and the Swiss Star Manu Akanji in Manchester City, but Akanji appears to be approaching a switch to Inter.
Meanwhile, Brighton’s Julio Igor is on the verge of securing a loan agreement with the palace, potentially clearing up Guech’s much-anticipated move to Merseyside.
Guehi’s £35 million deal is expected to push Liverpool’s spending to around £360 million, with Alexander Isaac expected to break the UK’s transfer record with a £125 million move from Newcastle United later today.
