Crystal Palace to accept last-minute £25m Marc Guehi bid with deadline-busting scramble on the cards
Crystal Palace are facing plenty of interest in star defender Marc Guehi from several Premier League clubs.
Guehi’s proposed summer move to Liverpool collapsed on deadline day despite a £35million deal being agreed between the two parties.
Palace have a decision to make if they want to avoid losing the 25-year-old on a free transfer when his contract at Selhurst Park expires on 30 June.
Manchester City have also been linked with a move to sign Guehi alongside Arsenal, with the two clubs battling it out for the Premier League title this season.
Why Crystal Palace could be forced to accept Marc Guehi bid
Former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider Palace could accept a £25m bid for Guehi in the final week of the transfer window.
However, it is believed Guehi won’t push for a move away from Palace if they decide not to sell him before the window closes on 2 February.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson said: “I don’t think you get to the end of January when Palace have got no more games before the window closes, if somebody says to Palace, it’s £25m or nothing, I can’t see how Palace can turn down £25m at that stage.
“You’re basically then saying, ‘You can either have the player for maybe 15 league games and some Conference League games, or you can have £25m. What are you going to choose?’. I think you’re going to take £25m.
“Now, maybe when it gets to £20m, you’re like, ‘Well, actually this is what the club’s all about and we’d like to win the Conference League’. Definitely at £15m, you go, ‘We’ll keep him’. But I think kind of £20-25m, by the time you get there, I think they’re not going to turn it down.”
How Man City will feel about Guehi’s asking price revealed
Man City are considering making a move to sign Guehi following the recent injuries to Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol, but Borson insisted they won’t overpay for the England international.
“I don’t see that City or anybody else is going to pay more than let’s say £40m because they’re going to have a big signing-on fee anyway,” said Borson.
“That’s pretty much akin to the deal that would happen in the summer for free. So, they’re looking at it going, do we need this player so much for the last 15 games plus Champions League games?
“Do we need him so much that we’re prepared to pay £40m, effectively as a six-month fee, comparing what we could pay now versus what we pay in the summer? I just don’t think people are going to do it, so I think you get down to a kind of £25-30m feels like the sweet spot.”
Guehi is now able to sign a pre-contract agreement with clubs overseas, with the likes of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich believed to be interested in securing his signature.
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