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Marc Guéhi will not be rushed into a decision on his future and is prepared to see out the final year of his contract at Crystal Palace if the right move does not materialise this summer. Palace are looking to cash in on the England defender, who is a target for Liverpool, Newcastle and Tottenham, but there is a possibility of the club losing one of their biggest assets on a free transfer next year.
Guéhi, who has no intention of signing an extension, remains open-minded about his next destination and a big consideration for the 24-year-old is making sure he has plenty of playing time next season.
The former Chelsea centre-back, who played an integral role in Palace winning the FA Cup, needs to safeguard his place in the England squad before the 2026 World Cup. That means there is an obvious benefit in joining a club who can offer Guéhi a quick route into their starting XI.
Liverpool have emerged as strong contenders to sign Guéhi and could bid for him once they sell Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen for £30m. A potential stumbling block, however, is that Liverpool still have the outstanding duo of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté as their first-choice pairing in central defence. Van Dijk, 33, has extended his contract with the Premier League champions and is showing no sign of slowing down.
The sale of Quansah will leave Liverpool short of defensive cover. The 22-year-old centre-back made 25 appearances for Arne Slot’s last season and can also play at right-back. Konaté is entering the final year of his deal and has struggled with injuries at times. Joe Gomez, another of Liverpool’s defensive options, has been out since February with a hamstring injury.
Guéhi will face a big decision if Liverpool follow up their interest in him by offering enough for Palace to sell. A chance to join the best team in England and work with Slot would be hard to turn down. At the same time there are indications that clubs who can immediately guarantee him regular football retain a good chance of signing him.
Newcastle tried to buy Guéhi last summer, only to be put off by Palace’s asking price of about £70m, and they remain in the mix after qualifying for the Champions League. Their current options at centre-back include three players in their 30s – Dan Burn, Fabian Schär and Jamaal Lascelles – and the 25-year-old Sven Botman, who missed much of last season through injury.
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Tottenham will also be in the market for a new defensive partner for Micky van de Ven if they sell Cristian Romero, who has been targeted by Atlético Madrid. Spurs, who have qualified for the Champions League, had an offer of £55m plus £15m in add-ons rejected in January. There seems little prospect of Chelsea following up preliminary interest in Guéhi.
Guéhi staying at Palace for another year before leaving for nothing has not been ruled out. He can speak to foreign clubs about signing a pre-contract from January. For Palace, there is a question of making sure their demands remain realistic this summer. Interested clubs are unlikely to want to overpay for a player who is entering the final year of his contract.
