Newcastle player Chris Waddle says his former club will have to spend “a lot of cash” to secure the services of Marc Guehi this summer.
The England international has been a long-term target for the Magpies, and speaking to online-casinos.com, Waddle said that Crystal Palace won’t let any of their best players leave without demanding top dollar:
“Marc Guehi and Eberechi Eze, they’ve got two players who will be getting a lot of attention this summer. Palace have to work out if they want to sell and try to spend what they got in a way that improves them, or they’ll try to hold onto at least one of them and kick on next season. It’s up to them to work out which way they want to go.”
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“People will question Palace’s ambition after they won the FA Cup and got into Europe. They need to add to their squad, so if they start selling, it makes the job of rebuilding doubly hard, and if it goes wrong, they risk a relegation dogfight.
“Of course, Newcastle need a centre-half and they have money to spend, but to get either Guehi or Eze out of Selhurst Park is going to cost any team a lot of cash.”
Guehi’s contract situation could play a role
One thing that Waddle is forgetting, which may prove crucial in negotiations, is that Guehi has reached the final year of his contract at Selhurst Park.
With the 24-year-old unwilling to sign an extension, the Eagles won’t be able to demand a fee in excess of £70m like they did last year.
Newcastle could have competition from Premier League rivals
Reliable reports in recent days have suggested that Arsenal are now contemplating a move for Guehi. The Gunners are keen on strengthening their options at centre-back, having lost out to Real Madrid for Dean Huijsen.
Considering Eddie Howe’s side can offer the defender regular first-team football, he may still favour a move to St James’ Park. He is unlikely to get ahead of William Saliba or Gabriel if he joins the London club.
In other news, Newcastle are reportedly among five Premier League clubs who have been offered a Barcelona goalkeeper