Liverpool handed Marc Guehi transfer blow as Steve Parish explains Crystal Palace stance
Liverpool failed to get a £35million deal over the line for Marc Guehi in the summer and face lots of competition for the Crystal Palace defender in the coming months
Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has hinted that the club would prefer to lose Marc Guehi for nothing at the end of the season, rather than sell him in the January transfer window. It was Parish who pulled the plug on a £35million deadline day move to Liverpool and he has now explained Palace’s stance.
Guehi had been all set to leave for Liverpool before Palace changed their minds on selling their captain without being able to find a replacement. The England star had been keen to leave for Anfield but has continued to play at a high level for Palace this season.
He will leave Palace in 2026, with his contract expiring in the summer, but his destination and his exit date remain undetermined. Liverpool have been joined by European giants Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Barcelona in showing an interest and nothing has been sorted yet.
Bayern and the Spanish clubs have the advantage of being able to speak to Guehi in January about a free transfer in July. And it seems that Palace would not be interested in earning a fee in the New Year and would rather have Guehi’s services until the end of the 2025/26 campaign.
READ MORE: Alan Shearer tears into Liverpool stars as Arne Slot decision slammed - 'Alarm bells'READ MORE: Liverpool and Man Utd receive message from £75m transfer target – 'I'm glad'“We needed to keep Marc because the difference between us having a stellar season and having a relegation-threatened season is us winning five games or not,” Parish told Men in Blazers.
“So the margins in the Premier League are very tight and you have to remember that Michael [Olise] has gone, we’re OK, Ebbs (Eberechi Eze) has gone, we’re OK, Wilfred [Zaha] went, we’re OK. There’s a limit to how much you can keep doing that before you break down the fabric of the team.”
Liverpool are in desperate need of reinforcements in defence after losing summer signing Giovanni Leoni to an ACL injury. They have lost six of their last seven matches in all competitions ahead of their game against Aston Villa on Saturday and the idea of moving again for Guehi in January may appeal to Arne Slot and the club’s hierarchy.
Given the groundwork they have laid and Guehi’s interest in joining, the Reds are perhaps still in pole position for the 25-year-old, but they could be left to rue Parish’s decision on deadline day if a rival swoops in.
“It was a very marginal call,” Parish added. “Marc was great about it as a person. Liverpool made the offer. It was a massive club, he was obviously interested in going. But he was fine about it, staying, if that was the decision we made.
“Obviously it means all of the ball is in his court tremendously as a player and he’s got the choice of wherever he wants to go. It was a very difficult one but I think definitely the right one.”
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