Liverpool are hoping to sign Marc Guehi for a cut-price fee in January after Crystal Palace pulled the plug on his move to the Premier League champions at the last minute
Michael Ham
21:21, 06 Sep 2025
Marc Guehi was on the verge of joining Liverpool only to have his dream move to the Premier League champions cancelled at the last minute
Marc Guehi was on the verge of joining Liverpool only to have his dream move to the Premier League champions cancelled at the last minute
Manchester City will battle Liverpool and the rest of Europe’s elite for Marc Guehi in the January transfer window.
City’s strong interest in the Crystal Palace and England centre back was revealed by Daily Star Sunday two weeks ago. But the Etihad stance was they would only make their move in the last transfer window if central defenders Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake left the club.
Eventually, only Akanji departed - joining Inter Milan on loan, with the Italian club having an option to make the move permanent for £13 million.
City insiders also claim there was a belief Guehi, 25, would not leave Selhurst Park before the window closed and were proved right when Palace chairman Steve Parish pulled the plug on a £35million move to Liverpool.
Premier League champions Liverpool believe they are still favourites to win the battle for Guehi and like City, hope Palace will accept a cut-price fee in January, with the coveted defender becoming a free agent in the summer.
Marc Guehi impressed for England against Andorra
Marc Guehi impressed for England against Andorra(Image: The FA via Getty Images)
However, the competition for Liverpool is hotting up - and not just from City boss Pep Guardiola’s club.
European heavyweights Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich are also being linked with Guehi - hardly surprising given his contract situation.
The Eagles captain continued to play for Palace up until the summer transfer window deadline on Monday. He scored a wondergoal as Palace defeated Aston Villa 3-0 on Sunday.
Speaking ahead of England's 2-0 victory over Andorra today, of which Guehi played 76 minutes before he was replaced by Ezri Konsa of Villa, England boss Thomas Tuchel said the FA Cup winner had handled the late collapse of his transfer to Liverpool with a "brilliant attitude".
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The England manager said: "Of course we had a chat with him. He looks absolutely fine and impressive on the field. He has had a good couple of weeks behind him on the performance side.
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"He has continued like that in camp and he handles it [his transfer situation] with respect and with a brilliant attitude."
Tuchel added: "He is the main driver of Crystal Palace's success - the captain and the leader - and he played very impressively at the end of last season."