Crystal Palace must make ‘massive’ Marc Guehi decision as Liverpool bid expected
Crystal Palace will be forced to make a “massive” decision about the future of Marc Guehi in the January transfer window amid renewed interest from Liverpool.
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 are bracing to receive bids worth £35million in January.
Crystal Palace beat Fulham 2-1 on Sunday, with Guehi bagging the late winner to fire them up to fourth place in the Premier League table.
The England international has been a vital part of that success, while the Eagles are targeting further progress in the Carabao Cup and Conference League.
With new offers expected to arrive for Guehi, they will now be forced to decide whether to prioritise on-pitch performance, or a final chance to raise money from his sale.
Crystal Palace forced to make huge Marc Guehi call
Brown told Football Insider in September that Crystal Palace would not sell Guehi without landing a replacement first given his importance to the team.
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, has insisted they must now make a decision about prioritising profits or on-pitch success.
“From the manager’s point of view, he will want to keep Guehi,” he told Football Insider.
“He’s the captain, their most consistent player, probably their best player and he’s such a huge part of the success they’ve had this season and last season too.
“With him in the side, Crystal Palace are a much better team, and have a much better chance at having more success before the end of the season.
“The problem then is whether the board and the decision-makers agree, because it comes down to whether they want to prioritise profits or success.
“If somebody comes in with a £35million offer in January, then it’s a massive decision for them.
“They either take that money for a player who would otherwise be leaving for free, pretty much throwing £35million down the drain, or hope he contributes to more success.
“It’s a similar decision to when they turned down £70million for him but then they went on to win the FA Cup, so the question now is do they take that gamble again?”
Liverpool plot fresh move to sign Guehi
Football Insider revealed last month that Liverpool are preparing a January move for Guehi as they aim to beat their European rivals to his signature.
Since the Palace captain’s move to Anfield fell through on deadline day, the likes of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have joined the race to sign him for free.
However, Liverpool believe they could tempt him to make the switch in January, which would see them land him while their rivals wait to do a summer deal.
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.
Meanwhile, sources say Liverpool recognise they made a mistake by delaying talks until deadline day, and are prepared to make a fresh move to finally land their man.
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