Liverpool came agonisingly close to signing Marc Guehi for £35million in the last few days of the summer transfer window and now Manchester City are exploring a move in January
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - JANUARY 4: Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Crystal Palace at St James' Park on January 4, 2026 in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. (Photo by Sebastian Frej/Getty Images)
Marc Guehi won't sign a new deal with Crystal Palace(Image: Sebastian Frej/Getty Images)
View 2 Images
Manchester City are considering making a move to sign Marc Guehi in January. City had already got the Crystal Palace captain in their sights as a top target when Guehi becomes a free agent next summer.
But City boss Pep Guardiola now faces an anxious wait on defenders Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias who both suffered injuries in Sunday's draw with Chelsea. That leaves City short of defensive options in the title race with John Stones also out and they may look to make reinforcements.
Guehi, 25, has made it clear to Palace he will not sign a new contract and they are resigned to losing their key defender on a free transfer next summer. It would take a huge offer for Palace to sell at this point as they are still in Europe, are chasing down a European place and have their own fixture pile-up.
Guehi only has six months left on his deal so it would be nowhere near the £35million Liverpool were ready to pay last summer. However, it would have to be an amount to tempt Palace and also the structure of any deal for the player would have to be right.
There has been major interest from European clubs including Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Juventus. Guehi would be able to command a bigger deal as a free agent and also have the pick of his clubs.
That means City would have to convince the player to put pen to paper now and that could be a major task for Guardiola even though he would be joining a title race. Liverpool have never gone away with their interest and that remains solid but only as a free agent.
Manchester City's Croatian defender #24 Josko Gvardiol (L) and Manchester City's Portuguese defender #03 Ruben Dias (R) chat during warm-up ahead of the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on January 4, 2026. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP via Getty Images) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications.
Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias picked up injuries against Chelsea on Sunday
View 2 Images
Guehi earned huge praise from Palace fans for the way he conducted himself throughout the summer transfer saga. And the England international has maintained his concentration and focus throughout Palace’s season so this latest interest is unlikely to distract him while the window is open.
Content Image
Content Image