Arsenal and City are in competition to sign Marc Guehiplaceholder image
Arsenal and City are in competition to sign Marc Guehi | Getty Images
Arsenal are up against stiff competition in the race for Marc Guehi’s signature this year
Arsenal ‘have been calling’ Crystal Palace over striking a summer deal for Marc Guehi but they risk being beaten to the punch this month.
Guehi almost joined Liverpool last summer until the deal dramatically collapsed in the final hours of Deadline Day. Now, the field is once again open to try and pursue Guehi and Fabrizio Romano has reported that Arsenal face immediate competition from Manchester City.
Man City willing to strike January deal for Marc Guehi to beat Arsenal
According to Fabrizio Romano, Man City strongly believe they can reach an agreement with Crystal Palace over a deal for Guehi this month. The England international is a key player for the Eagles but they are open to the idea of selling this month in order to bring in a bit of cash before the opportunity disappears.
Should they fail to sell Guehi this window, Palace are also okay with that and will happily see out his contract, but Pep Guardiola’s side are eager to strike a deal now.
“Man City believe internally they can reach an agreement with Crystal Palace for Marc Guehi quite easily, so it should not be a problem to reach a club-to-club agreement. Palace are open to finding a solution for Marc Guehi in January,” Romano said on his YouTube channel.
Mikel Arteta a ‘big fan’ of Marc Guehi
City are willing to spend money now and beat the competition to Guehi’s signature as they are currently struggling with an injury crisis at centre-back. Josko Gvardiol, Ruben Dias and John Stones are all currently out injured, leaving Guardiola with just two fit senior central defenders.
“City are really convinced they can reach an agreement with Palace but it’s the player who has to decide, and Marc Guehi is taking his time. With his family, with his agents, considering all the opportunities because Arsenal have been calling over a potential deal in the summer,” Romano continued.
The Gunners’ admiration for Guehi is led by Mikel Arteta, which is why the club are also looking to sign him this year. However, with the strong selection of Piero Hincapie, Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba, room will need to be made in the starting line-up for the Crystal Palace captain.
“Arteta is a big fan of the player - this is why Arsenal are interested. Mikel Arteta really believes he’s a top player, but Arsenal also have many players in that position. And so that’s a point,” Romano explained.
“Then there is general interest from Liverpool. They had a deal agreed last summer. Liverpool remain absolutely interested in Marc Guehi and so it’s going to be one to watch for sure.”
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