Marc Guehi is in the “final stages” of leaving Crystal Palace, according to manager Oliver Glasner, with Manchester City expected to purchase the England center back this month.
The announcement added to a deflating day at Palace, as the announcement came shortly after [Glasner said he would not be signing an new contract](https://www.nbcsports.com/soccer/news/oliver-glasner-will-leave-crystal-palace-at-the-end-of-the-season) with the South London club. Glasner did say his exit was not about transfer activity.
The Athletic’s David Ornstein reports that [the deal is for approximately $27 million](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6955695/2026/01/16/marc-guehi-manchester-city-transfer-palace/) and that Palace will retain a sell-on clause.
Speaking ahead of Palace’s trip to Sunderland this weekend, Glasner said that Guehi would not be in the squad.
“My latest understanding is that a deal with Marc is in the final stages,” Glasner said. “I can’t confirm a club, because it’s still not done but it’s in the final stages. The result is that Marc doesn’t play tomorrow for us.”
Pep Guardiola said he had “nothing to say” about a possible move for Guehi during his Friday news conference.
Marc Guehi to Manchester City? What does it mean for title race, Crystal Palace?
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Let’s start with Palace — they’ve had ages to plan for this as Guehi declined to sign a new deal with the club and his future was the main topic of conversation around the Selhurst Park faithful this summer.
They will surely have their primary and secondary options ready to replace the English star, and they now do get a transfer fee for the player instead of watching him walk for free in the summer.
As for City, their hand was forced by injuries to Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias but this move makes a lot of sense given John Stones’ injury history, the youth of Abdukodir Khusanov and Max Alleyne, and the uneven play of Nathan Ake.
Guehi at 25 could slot into the City side for years, alongside Dias or Gvardiol. The side could easily play Gvardiol at left back again, something that could resemble the big success Riccardo Calafiori has had for Arsenal as a creative, imposing left-sided player.
The only question here, without knowing the transfer fee, is why Liverpool have sat on their hands rather than pay a fee. The Reds are in dire need of a notable center back with Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate dominating the minutes and the club alive in so many competitions.
If it’s stubbornness over assuming they would get him for free in the summer, that’s short-sighted. They obviously wanted the player in the summer, and now are essentially letting him walk to a top-four rival.
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