Crystal Palace are scouring the market for players who could replace centre-back Marc Guehi because their captain is in talks with Liverpool over a transfer this summer
Crystal Palace have identified a possible replacement for Marc Guehi should his transfer to Liverpool go ahead in the closing stages of the summer transfer window.
Liverpool opened talks with Palace over a deal for Guehi last week and remain keen on signing the England centre-back. The Reds have landed Giovanni Leoni from Parma for £26million but still want Guehi to bolster their options in central defence.
The defending Premier League champions have spent over £300m on new players this summer, but the £25m sale of Ben Doak to Bournemouth means they have recouped £200m of that. It is those sales which mean they can afford to sign Guehi from Palace, however a stand-off has emerged with less than two weeks remaining in the window.
Guehi has less than a year left on his Palace contract and the club are open to selling, but are holding firm on their £45m valuation. Liverpool are unwilling to go above £35m for the centre-back and it is that £10m difference that is behind the stalling of negotiations.
Nevertheless, Palace are looking for replacements, with The Independent reporting that Rennes star Jeremy Jacquet has been highlighted as an option. The 20-year-old defender is highly regarded in France, having impressed on loan with Clermont and been named in the team of the tournament for the under-19 European Championship last summer.
It was reported earlier in the summer that Jacquet rejected that opportunity to join Arsenal. The youngster signed a new deal with Rennes until June 2029 and doesn’t appear to be in a rush to make a move to the Premier League.
Palace are realistic over their chances of keeping Guehi and Eberechi Eze this summer, especially after being demoted from the Europa League to the Conference League. Manager Oliver Glasner doesn’t want to lose his two stars, but is happy to keep playing them despite the noise around their futures.
“Everyone could see the performances against Liverpool and today, they were 100 per cent aligned with this team and Crystal Palace,” he said after they both started the 0-0 draw against Chelsea on Sunday.
“As long as they are 100 per cent committed, they will play as they are so good. I watched them all week in training, I spoke to them almost daily, maybe more than my kids and wife, but it’s been worth it to talk to them. They didn’t just show they are great footballers, but they are great people and that’s what I expected.”
While Guehi’s move to Liverpool is on hold for now, Eze looks set to join Tottenham after they moved ahead of Arsenal in the race for the playmaker. Spurs are expected to offer £55m plus £5m in add-ons for the England midfielder.