Marc Guehi will have plenty of potential suitors in the summer but the England international could end up leaving Crystal Palace sooner than that due to events elsewhere
Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi in action against Fulham
Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi is in high demand
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Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi is sure to be in high demand next summer when his contract expires. The England centre-back will be free to speak to potential overseas suitors in January with a view to a pre-contract agreement, but Barcelona may have reason to move even sooner.
Barca are one of a number of clubs expected to be in the running for Guehi, whose Palace exit looks to be a formality. However, a mid-season move could now be on the cards after Hansi Flick's side lost Andreas Christensen to an ACL injury.
"The first team player Andreas Christensen has a partial tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee as the result of an unfortunate twist of the knee in Saturday’s training session," a club statement on Sunday read. "After tests carried out on the player, a conservative course of treatment has been chosen."
Former Chelsea star Christensen could now miss the remainder of the season, with his team indicating that his return date is unknown for now. They are likely to have a better idea when they see how well the Dane's recovery progresses.
Barcelona are already looking light at the back, with Uruguayan defender Ronald Araujo handed an indefinite break by the club. The one saving grace for manager Flick may be that Christensen's injury only kept him out of one match before the winter break, giving the Catalans time to bring forward their summer plans to add a central defender to their ranks.
Guehi has also been on the radar of the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester City and Liverpool. The latter looked to have won the race over the summer, only for Palace to pull the plug at the eleventh hour.
The 25-year-old has continued to play regularly for Palace despite no indications he plans to extend his deal at Selhurst Park. It may be the case that he waits until the summer and moves on a free, rather than upping sticks just months before a likely starting spot with England at the World Cup.
Andreas Christensen during Barcelona vs Osasuna
Barcelona will be without Andreas Christensen for an extended period
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Liverpool could also be tempted to revisit their Guehi interest in January after losing a centre-back of their own, summer arrival Giovanni Leoni, to a season-ending injury. However, a separate injury for record signing Alexander Isak may mean their transfer priorities lie elsewhere.
"It's going to be a long injury. A couple of months," Reds boss Arne Slot said when asked about Isak's absence. "That's a big, big big disappointment for him and also for us."
Slot also wouldn't be drawn on reports of a move for Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo, saying: "My first and only thoughts are on upcoming two games. Two difficult ones. Two home games which is really nice."
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