Man City now want to sign Crystal Palace star amid ‘massive’ claim – Insider
Man City are plotting a move to sign Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi as part of a defensive overhaul after a dramatic dip in form.
This 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 Guehi is an option who “ticks a lot of boxes” for Pep Guardiola.
The 24-year-old is Palace’s club captain, has made over 100 Premier League appearances for the Eagles, and has become a regular fixture in the England national team.
Having established himself as a key player for Gareth Southgate during Euro 2024, Guehi remained the first-choice centre-back under Lee Carsley, and now has 22 caps to his name.
His experience at both club and international level, as well as his ability on the ball and leadership qualities have made him one of City’s top targets to improve their defence.
City are looking to transform their back line in the summer, and are plotting new signings across all four defensive positions with work already beginning behind the scenes.
This comes after Brown previously told Football Insider that the club are planning a “massive” squad overhaul amid concerns about ageing and declining players.
Man City plan to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace
Guehi has been highly sought after given his contract situation at Selhurst Park, as he will have just one year left on his deal come the end of the season, attracting interest from Liverpool and Newcastle.
Now, Brown, who has a wealth of experience in top-level player recruitment after spending over a decade at Man United during their most successful period, has insisted the centre-back is high on City’s list of names to improve their strength at centre-back.
“They want to make big changes to their defensive line,” he told Football Insider.
“Kyle Walker has been a concern, they’ve got a problem with John Stones because how many games has he missed? Dias has been stable for them but he’s missed games.
“We’re talking then about three of the back four, then we go to left-back where Gvardiol was doing well, but all of a sudden isn’t so reliable defensively.
“One player I’m told they’re very interested in is Marc Guehi, from Crystal Palace.
“He’s improved consistently at Palace and he’s still getting better and better, he’s intelligent in posession, he’s not the tallest but he deals well with his opponents, and he’s England’s starting centre-back which counts for a lot.
“And, he gives you 100% every week, he’s a leader on the pitch with his actions and he sets the standards for his teammates to follow.
“So he ticks plenty of boxes for City and for Guardiola, he’s a very strong option for them.
“He’s attracted interest from a number of clubs but I think he’d do very well for City, and he’s certainly somebody they would like to sign.”
In other news, Man City have new concerns about Jack Grealish.
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