Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta face a big Arsenal transfer decision on Piero Hincapie after re-igniting their interest Marc Guehi
16:15, 10 Jan 2026
Marc Guehi during a Crystal Palace game
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Marc Guehi has been linked with a transfer to Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City(Image: (Martin Rickett/PA Wire))
Arsenal can avoid paying £45million in the summer transfer window by signing Marc Guehi as a free agent. The Gunners have emerged as serious contenders for the Crystal Palace captain with Liverpool and Manchester City also strongly linked.
The Premier League champions tried to sign him last summer but were unsuccessful in their attempts while Pep Guardiola's side are trying to sign him in January having lost Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol to injuries.
Unlike for those at Etihad Stadium, Guehi is not an Arsenal transfer target for this month, but there is a long-term admiration for the defender in north London
If he is still at Palace by February 3, Arsenal and Liverpool will be the Premier League clubs battling for his signature while a move to Real Madrid is also an option.
Two of the eight summer signings negotiated by sporting director Andrea Berta were defenders with that in addition to the five players in those positions already at the club. Cristhian Mosquera was one of those signings as he joined for a £13million fee with Piero Hincapie later coming in on loan from Bayer Leverkusen.
A £45m buy-option was included in the details of that switch with Berta successfully negotiating a masterstroke of a deal that gets Arsenal an elite footballer without paying a transfer fee.
Despite three players being ahead of him in the pecking order in his two favoured positions, injuries have seen him play significant minutes this season The Ecuador international has had some issues of his own and is currently out with what is believed to be a muscular problem.
He has performed well when given the opportunity but it is very likely, if possible, that Arsenal would sign Guehi for free over paying £45m to make his switch permanent.
Piero Hincapie in action for Arsenal
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Piero Hincapie is on a loan at Arsenal from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen(Image: Getty Images)
However, City could feasibly sign him over the coming weeks having now announced the addition of Antoine Semenyo and following Glasner's candid admission on his future.
He said: "I'm not naive. If a massive offer comes from City and Marc wants to do it, it will happen. If you're just valuing sports, everyone in the club will say Marc has to stay.
"The chairman will tell you the same. But it's not one-dimensional. If you see the financial situation, it's very important.
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"If somebody comes, there will be a moment when the club says 'now the financial issue is more important than the sports issue'.
"There will be a threshold where the club has to say it will happen - as long as Marc says 'I want to leave', because the final decision is always with the player."
Guehi wanting to depart could have become more likely in the last 24 hours following Palace's shock FA Cup third round defeat to non-league Macclesfield.