Marc Guehi has been dealt an ultimatum by Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish amid interest from Liverpool, though head coach Oliver Glasner may not agree.
Guehi played his first game of European football on Thursday night as he captained Palace to a 1-0 win over Fredrikstad FK in the UEFA Conference League qualifiers.
Post-match was dominated by speculation over the 25-year-old’s future, with Liverpool keen to sign him before the transfer deadline and Guehi keen to join the champions.
Speaking to Channel 5 after the game, Palace chairman Parish was asked if fans can expect to see their No. 6 stay this season.
“If Marc wants to sign a contract, he can stay,” he replied, with Guehi into the final year of his current deal.
“If he doesn’t want to sign a contract, then we have to look at it.
“It’s a difficult situation. Every club like us – and particularly if you’re in Europe, the financial rules are a lot tighter than the Premier League – has to sell players to comply with the rules.
“So players leaving on a free is not an ideal situation for the football club. I’m not going to pretend that it is.
“That’s a situation we’ll have to look at in the next 11 days.”
Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi lifts the Community Shield with team-mates (John Walton/PA)
That serves as an ultimatum of sorts to Guehi: either sign a contract now and potentially boost your value while staying for the season, or leave before September 1 and Palace will look to strike the best deal they can.
Given the centre-back appears ready to make the switch to Anfield, Liverpool find themselves in a strong position as negotiations continue over a transfer.
But Palace are also under pressure from within, with manager Oliver Glasner making it clear in his own post-match interview that he will not accept further departures weakening his squad, with Eberechi Eze already left out.
“We have to [keep him]. Honestly, we have to. Especially for the second leg,” he told Channel 5, with Palace hosting Fredrikstad in the decider on Thursday.
“No injured player will come back, we can’t register anyone, so we have to keep him.”
LONDON, ENGLAND - Sunday, August 10, 2025: Crystal Palace's captain Marc Guéhi during the FA Community Shield match between Crystal Palace FC and Liverpool FC at Wembley Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Glasner added: “He knows [I want to keep him], and not just since today. Everybody knows it.
“Again, it’s not for me, it’s just if we want to compete in all these competitions, we need players and that’s pretty clear.”
While Guehi extending his contract cannot be ruled out at this stage, the most likely eventuality seems to be him staying for the second leg on August 28 before a replacement is signed and a move is sanctioned.
According to the Guardian‘s Ed Aarons, Palace are interested in Juventus’ Lloyd Kelly as a possible successor, while Liverpool are hopeful of agreeing terms for Guehi in the region of £35 million.