Marc Guehi’s potential Crystal Palace exit looks set to ramp up over the coming weeks as Liverpool and Manchester City do battle over his signature.
The centre-back had been one step away from joining the Reds during the summer window, but a late U-turn from Palace meant the deal collapsed late on.
With his contract set to end in six months, reports have suggested that Liverpool would prefer to wait until the summer to try again for Guehi. However, after suffering a centre-back crisis of their own, it has been claimed that Man City want to sign the 25-year-old this month.
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Marc Guehi pictured at the Emirates Stadium ahead of Crystal Palace's Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal
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If City do step up their chase for Guehi, then Liverpool may be forced to step in and move their own plans forward.
Given they are set to lose out on a transfer fee of around £35m, Palace are seemingly open to letting their captain leave in January, meaning the eventual decision is likely to rest with the player. And as Guehi weighs up his many options, his new preference has been revealed.
Marc Guehi wants to join Liverpool
Guehi has received a lot of praise for his attitude in knuckling down at Palace after seeing a dream move snatched away from him in 2025.
But if the England international is as loyal and professional as he is being portrayed to be, surely he will keep his word and join Liverpool this summer. According to Man City journalist Sam Lee, the Reds may actually be in luck with that.
Marc Guehi arrives at Elland Road ahead of Crystal Palace's Premier League fixture against Leeds United.
Photo by Ed Sykes/Getty Images
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“On Monday night I was told by somebody who knows what’s going on at City, but also I think probably Palace as well, he said he thinks Guehi wants to stay until the summer and he prefers Liverpool in any case,” Lee told the Let Me Talk podcast on Thursday.
“Somebody else messaged me on Twitter and I know he’s very good on other club stuff, he was like ‘yeah, he wants to stay until the summer and he prefers Liverpool and Arsenal’. I was like ‘well I haven’t heard Arsenal,’ but that kind of tallies what I’d been told the night before.
“But obviously Glasner then did his press conference and he actually specifically said about City, and did he not say they wanted to sign a centre-back from City which is obviously Ake, but they’re obviously not going to sell Ake now anyway. There’s no way.”
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Marc Guehi is now being targeted by Man City in January
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Liverpool unlikely to bring Guehi move forward
It would make a lot of sense that the agreement between Guehi and Liverpool from last summer still stands in principle.
The former Chelsea defender was clearly determined to join the Reds at the time, and although he will have had less options than he currently does, we do not see why that would have changed.
In fact, with Ibrahima Konate looking likely to leave on a free transfer, Guehi should arrive at Anfield as the undisputed starting partner for Virgil van Dijk. That was not the case in the summer.
While Liverpool are not in as good a position as they were back in August and September, Arne Slot’s project is still clearly a very exciting one that any top player would want to be a part of.
So, with Guehi seemingly still set on a move to Anfield, we do not see a scenario in which Liverpool move this one forward to the here and now. If the player is happy to hold on, then the Reds will be too.
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