Crystal Palace board tipped to ignore Oliver Glasner and accept offer for ‘crucial’ player
Oliver Glasner is desperate to keep hold of Marc Guehi in January but could be overruled by the Crystal Palace hierarchy should offers arrive.
That is according to former Man United and Blackburn chief scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that Palace may be unable to turn down big-money bids.
Guehi missed out on a move to Liverpool in the summer, but will become a free agent when his contract expires in 2026, and clubs are queuing up to agree terms.
However, Football Insider revealed earlier this month that Liverpool could reignite their interest in Guehi in an attempt to beat rivals to his signature.
There have been suggestions that a fresh bid matching the £35million offer in the summer could prove hard for the Eagles to turn down regardless of the boss’ plans.
Crystal Palace could accept £35m Marc Guehi offer
Brown told Football Insider on 8 December that Palace have a huge decision to make over Guehi’s future in January as they brace to receive offers.
The former scout, who has a wealth of experience in top-level player recruitment after over a decade at Man United during their most successful period, insisted Palace could be tempted to take the money despite the manager’s wishes.
“Palace are in a very difficult situation with Guehi,” he told Football Insider.
“Glasner obviously doesn’t want to lose him mid-way through the season, he’s a crucial player, their captain, one of their best players and so important to everything they do.
“So on the playing side of things, it would be very risky to let him leave in January when they still hold ambitions of pushing up the league table and winning in Europe.
“The problem is, it will be very tempting for the Palace hierarchy to sell.
“They almost let him go in the summer and would have done if not for the manager’s protestations, so I have no doubt they will be tempted again.
“If they get an offer around that £35million they were willing to accept in the summer, it would make sense on the financial side of things to let him go.
“So it’s about the footballing side versus the financial side, the manager versus the board, and unfortunately in my experience the board will usually be tempted.
“As much as Palace won’t want to lose Guehi, I expect they will look at the financial side of things and think it’s too much money to turn down.”
Guehi’s stance on Crystal Palace exit revealed
Football Insider revealed on 10 December that Guehi is content to stay at Crystal Palace until the end of the season and will not push to leave.
The centre-back remains in a strong position over his future and is keen to bide his time rather than rushing into a decision given the level of interest in his signature.
Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are both keeping tabs on the Palace captain in hope of landing him for free as Europe’s elite queue up.
Palace will be under pressure to sell Guehi in January as they aim to raise funds from his last-ditch exit rather than letting him leave for free in the summer.
However, Brown told Football Insider in September that Crystal Palace would not sell Guehi without landing a replacement first given his importance to the team.
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