Three reasons why Marc Guehi’s final decision on transfer is clear as Liverpool, Man City, Arsenal wait
Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal are all sniffing around Marc Guehi, but they all should know where he will decide to play his football next season…
The Guehi transfer saga has been rumbling on for well over two years. From Newcastle United laughably failing to sign him in 2024 despite making three bids, to Liverpool’s deadline day collapse last summer, and now growing interest from Manchester City this month, it has been quite the tale.
One thing is certain: the talented centre-back will leave Crystal Palace this year, owing to the imminent expiry of his contract and interest from some of the best clubs in Europe.
It is just a question of where he will go and whether Palace will secure a fee for the England international.
It is a credit to Palace’s hierarchy that they have kept Guehi for this long, as they have refused to buckle to interest from rivals to insist on their valuation of the centre-back.
In the summer, this was £40m, and it was clear to everyone on the outside that he would be sold if Palace were offered this fee.
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Despite this, Liverpool spent far too much time messing around over landing Alexander Isak and put signing Guehi, which should have actually been their top priority, on the back burner.
This did not deter Guehi, who was reportedly insistent throughout the window that he only wanted Liverpool, but Arne Slot’s side were punished for wasting time as Palace justifiably pulled the plug on a £40m agreement on deadline day over their inability to land a suitable replacement before the window shut.
Liverpool’s defensive woes have worsened this blow for Slot and FSG, who are facing increased competition for Guehi ahead of a potential free transfer.
As mentioned, this includes Man City, who are working at an increased level of desperation to land Guehi after Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiola suffered injuries.
It has been reported that Man City are willing to pull out all of the stops to secure Guehi’s services, but The Athletic‘s Sam Lee has shed light on the defender’s “preference”.
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Lee explained: “On Monday night, I was told by somebody who knows what’s going on at City, but also I think probably Palace as well, he said he thinks Guehi wants to stay until the summer and he prefers Liverpool [to City] in any case.
“Somebody else messaged me on Twitter (X) and I know he’s very good on other club stuff, he was like; ‘Yeah, he wants to stay until the summer – and he prefers Liverpool and Arsenal’. I was like; ‘Well I haven’t heard Arsenal’, but that kind of tallies what I’d been told the night before.”
So, on the surface, Guehi’s future appears to be up in the air, but this should not be the reality.
The actual situation should be that a move to Liverpool remains incredibly likely, just as it did for most of the 2025 summer window.
Firstly, this is because Guehi has already said yes to Liverpool and had one foot in the door on deadline day before the transfer collapsed.
In the months following this development, Liverpool’s centre-back situation has not changed and he will remain their top target, while the player’s mind is unlikely to have changed either.
Also, despite Man City’s recent advances, it is still in Guehi’s best interests to remain at Palace until the summer to maximise his financial gain through a signing-on fee and having greater options than he does currently.
This and Guehi having a simpler route to the first XI at Liverpool than Man City and Arsenal means, despite all the noise suggesting otherwise, a move to Anfield is still the most likely outcome of this prolonged saga.
