Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Aston Villa at Selhurst Park on January 07, 2026 in London, Englandplaceholder image
Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Aston Villa at Selhurst Park on January 07, 2026 in London, England | Getty Images
Liverpool remain in the race to sign Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi as the England international's contract ticks down
Liverpool are still hoping to sign Marc Guehi on a free transfer in the summer but their hand could be forced to make a move this month amid interest from Premier League rivals Manchester City.
“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,” transfer expert Fabrizio Romano said on his YouTube channel recently as he addressed the situation.
“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.”
Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are also linked with Guehi, with most clubs preferring a summer move when he is a free agent. He is one of the most stand-out players in Europe and is already in huge demand.
However, he has one part of his game that could actually make Liverpool and the likes of Arsenal weaker.
With Guehi at the hart of defence, Palace have conceded 12 times from set-pieces this season in the Premier League - which is just one fewer than Liverpool who have let in 13 goals.
Arsenal are on the opposite end of the scale, as they have conceded just five times from set-pieces. Only three clubs have a better record in the Premier League.
A move for Guehi would not appear to immediately solve Liverpool’s problems at set-pieces, as it’s not something he’s able to get on top of with the rest of the Palace squad at Selhurst Park.
Guehi is hailed as one of the best defenders in the game at the moment - and rightly so - but defending at set-pieces is something that will need to improve.
Speaking about set-piece woes, Palace boss Oliver Glasner said last week: “In five of our last six defeats – Strasbourg, Man United, Leeds, Tottenham and today – we just conceded goals from set pieces.
“You can't win games like this and this is what we have to get sorted. It's my responsibility to give the players better solutions, so they feel more comfortable and can defend this in a better way.
“It's always a second phase where we are not really structured and then conceding goals.”
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