Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has suggested the club would prefer to allow Marc Guehi to leave for free at the end of the season rather than sell him in January. Parish was the one who spurned a £35m transfer fee to join Liverpool on deadline day, but he has now made Palace’s position clear.
Gehi was set to join Liverpool, but Palace reconsidered parting ways with their captain without securing a replacement. The England international had been keen on a move to Anfield, but has been in good form at Palace all season and will leave Palace when his contract expires in the summer in 2026, although it is still unclear where he will join next club and when he will leave.
Liverpool have also been joined by European giants Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Barcelona to express interest, but nothing has been finalized yet.
Bayern and the Spanish giants have the advantage of being allowed to discuss terms with Gehi in January for a free transfer in July.
And Palace have no interest in securing a transfer fee in the new year, preferring to keep Gehi until the end of the 2025/26 season.
“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 Michael (Olise) is gone, we are fine, Ebus (Eberechi Eze) is gone, we are fine, Wilfried (Zaha) is gone, we are fine.”
“There’s only so much you can do before you disrupt the structure of your team.”
Liverpool are in desperate need of reinforcements in their defense following Giovanni Leoni’s injury in the summer.
The Reds have lost six of their last seven games before Saturday’s game against Aston Villa, and a January swoop for Guehi could prove attractive to Arne Slott and the club’s decision-makers.
The foundations have already been laid and Guehi’s desire to move means Liverpool can still maintain an advantage for the defender.
But Parrish may regret his deadline-day stance if his competitors take the lead.
“It was a very last-minute decision,” Parrish added. “Marc was a great person and Liverpool made an offer.
“He was obviously interested in moving because it was a huge club, but if that was our decision he had no problem staying.”
“Obviously, that means as a player the ball is all in his court and he has a choice of where he wants to go. It was a very difficult game, but I think it was definitely the right game.”
