Man City would have to “flex their financial muscles” to purchase Marc Guehi this month, according to reports.
TEAMtalk claim that Pep Guardiola’s side would not only have to match Crystal Palace’s £35m asking price, but they would also have to pay a salary and signing-on fee similar to the teams hoping to secure his services on a free transfer at the end of the season.
That has scared off the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Barcelona from bidding for Guehi during the January transfer window.
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It means the path is clear for the Cityzens to make their move, but it could cost them an eyerwatering amount of money.
This could be Man City’s only chance
If the Manchester club don’t make an approach in January, they would face a lot of competition for Guehi this summer.
In fact, there is a belief that City would be massive underdogs, with it being suggested that Liverpool are likely to be his favoured destination. The Reds lost out on his signature in September when a move collapsed on Deadline Day.
For that reason, there are many at City who feel that this month is the best chance they will have to snap up Guehi.
Is the signing of Guehi really needed?
The injuries sustained by Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias have prompted the search for a new centre-back. However, Max Alleyne was brought back from his loan spell at Watford to bulk up Guardiola’s options. Both the 20-year-old and Abdulkodir Khusanov started the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Newcastle on Tuesday night, keeping a clean sheet in the process. Speaking after the 2-0 win, captain Bernardo Silva said:
“Khusanov and Max [Alleyne] in the last games were outstanding! The personality, the character that they showed. It’s not easy to come into this team with the pressure that you have at this level; to perform, to have the courage to play from the back, to be consistent, to be solid. In a very tough stadium, we know how difficult it is to play here; they were very good.”
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