Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner has delivered a firm message to his club's hierarchy that they 'must retain' Marc Guehi as Liverpool intensify their pursuit of the defender on transfer deadline day. Guehi, 25, has now entered the final 12 months of his Palace deal and remains a target for the Premier League champions, who tabled an enhanced £35million offer on Friday.
Liverpool's proposal features a 10 per cent sell-on clause, though it's believed Palace are demanding an additional £5million in performance-related bonuses beyond the base fee. The Merseyside giants have identified the centre-back as a long-term successor to Ibrahima Konate, with Anfield hierarchy concerned the Frenchman's attention may have been captured by Real Madrid interest before his deal expires in June 2026.
France star Konate also sustained an injury during Sunday's 1-0 triumph over Arsenal at home. Guehi has maintained his professionalism throughout Liverpool's pursuit, continuing to captain Palace and netting a stunning strike in their commanding 3-0 victory at Aston Villa on Sunday.
Following that match, Glasner delivered an unambiguous statement to Eagles chairman Steve Parish, emphasising the club lacks a suitable 'replacement' with Monday's 7pm deadline looming. "I like Marc, he is such a professional player and such a nice guy," the Palace manager told Sky Sports.
"It is for the future of Crystal Palace. We have to keep him. We don't have the right replacement, so for me, it is clear that we keep him."
At his press conference, Glasner reinforced his position, declaring: "There is no deal. We can decide, he is our player and under contract. We can decide. It is up to us.
"Our fans deserve to have the best players available. If we don't sell Marc, he will accept it. He loves Crystal Palace and the team. We have to [keep Guehi] if we want to play a successful season.
"When you see our defensive set-up, this is our foundation, everybody knows exactly what he has to do, everybody can rely on each other. Marc isn't a small part in this, he's our captain.
"We have to keep him. I told this to the chairman. It's not for me. I like Marc, he's such a professional player, and is such a nice guy but it's for the future of Crystal Palace, it's for playing a successful season.
"We have to keep him. We've discussed this situation and said, 'Okay, we're only selling Marc if we have the right replacement'. If we don't have the right replacement for me it's clear to keep him."