Marc Guehi is a reported target for Liverpool this summer but the England and Crystal Palace defender has been a wanted man ever since he first left Chelsea in 2021
Marc Guehi rages on the pitch and holds his hands up
Marc Guehi has been at the centre of transfer drama over the years(Image: (Photo by Alex Pantling - The FA/The FA via Getty Images))
While talk of bolstering forward areas is dominating the headlines for Liverpool, a search for a centre-half is also underway. And Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi is a target.
The 25-year-old Eagles star captained his team to victory over Liverpool in the Community Shield on Sunday, in what was a confident display. The England defender has now moved into the final year of his contract at Palace and the London side face a dilemma of either selling their talisman this summer, or risk losing him on a free next year - unless he signs a new contract.
Guehi was the subject of interest from Newcastle last summer with Palace turning down three bids, one of which was in the region of £70 million. Palace held firm in 2024, but the same cannot be promised this year.
Speaking after the Community Shield, Palace chief Steve Parish conceded that Guehi could leave the club this summer, claiming that for players of Guehi's ability leaving for fee is a "problem".
With Liverpool now considering a swoop for Guehi, and former club Chelsea also believed to be in the mix, we take a closer look at the transfer drama that has made Guehi one of the most in-demand defenders in the Premier League.
Liverpool's position
The ECHO previously reported Liverpool are interested in the defender but club officials are ready to wait on the defender instead of paying a fee this summer, with Palace still looking for a figure in the region of £50m.
Speaking ahead of the Community Shield, Palace boss Oliver Glasner offered no further clarity on the defender's future.
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 10: Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace and Florian Wirtz of Liverpool challenge during the 2025 FA Community Shield match between Crystal Palace and Liverpool at Wembley Stadium on August 10, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Nigel French/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace and Florian Wirtz of Liverpool battle for the ball during the Community Shield at Wembley
"You have to ask Marc. At the end it’s always the player’s decision," he said. "Marc decides about his future, and of course everybody wants Marc to sign a new contract, but it will be his decision."
A report from The Guardian claimed Guehi is not actively pursuing a move away from the Eagles as it stands, yet that he would choose Liverpool, Newcastle United should such a call have to be made.
Silly offer
In January of this year, Chelsea were said to have lodged an offer derided as 'silly' to bring Guehi back to Stamford Bridge. The Blues sold Guehi to Palace in 2021 for £18m, but their package to take him back to west London wasn't even close to what the Eagles expected according to reports.
Chelsea were circling Guehi for £50m but Palace were said to want in the region of £70m for their star man. A deal never materialised with an insider claiming: "Their [Chelsea's] offer was a long way off being a fair price. It was silly really and they need to offer more."
Speaking of Guehi at the time, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca said: "I like Marc for sure but he is not our player" - now all eyes are on whether Chelsea will mount another attempt to bring Guehi back to where it all started for him.
Chelsea U-turn and transfer clause
The Blues were keen to retain Guehi in 2021 but Palace's offer was too good to turn down, forcing them to pull a U-turn on their academy graduate. Chelsea also hoped to insert a buy-back clause for Guehi.
Marc Guehi
Chelsea sold Marc Guehi to Crystal Palace in 2021(Image: SOPA Images, SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
However, the clubs ultimately agreed on a matching rights option for the Blues, whereby they can get the chance to match any future offer for Guehi, along with a sell-on clause, rumoured to be a hefty 20%.
Guehi's Chelsea stance
Guehi spent two seasons out on loan at Swansea City prior to his Palace move and he believed it steeled him for more minutes in the Premier League.
The centre-half admitted in 2022 that he had no regrets at leaving Chelsea as becoming a first-team regular was vital in his decision to move - something that could deter a switch to Liverpool with Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate currently the favoured back two at Anfield.
"Game time for any young player is the key," Guehi said. "Coming off the back of playing in the Championship on a regular basis for any young player that is really important, getting game time.
"The decision to leave Chelsea and come to Palace was the right one, to get that game time and show what I can do. Coming here didn’t mean it was a given I was going to play. For my development it was important to go somewhere permanent, play regularly, and feel at home somewhere."
England head coach Thomas Tuchel speaks to Marc Guehi
England head coach Thomas Tuchel has no regrets over letting Marc Guehi leave Chelsea while he was the club's manager
Thomas Tuchel has no regrets
Former Chelsea boss, now England manager, Tuchel had no remorse at letting Guehi go in 2021. "It’s a fantastic development and it’s very hard to know if we kept him what would’ve happened," The German said after Guehi's maiden season with Palace.
"Maybe he needed a change, a different club, a bigger role, more minutes to develop his full potential." Chelsea's current stance on Guehi seems to suggest they are regretting their decision to part ways, but Tuchel believed it was the right course of action, adding: "I am happy with these decisions and it was the right thing to do given the circumstances.”