Marc Guehi will leave Crystal Palace in 2026, but his destination remains unclear, with Liverpool and Bayern Munich the favourites after Real Madrid pulled out of the race
Real Madrid have seemingly dropped their interest in Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi as the January transfer window approaches. Guehi is one of the most in-demand players in Europe and will leave Palace in 2026 - but Madrid won’t be his destination.
The England star came close to joining Liverpool on transfer deadline day before Palace chairman Steve Parish pulled the plug at the last minute. His £35million transfer was scuppered, but the Reds remain keen to sign the 26-year-old to bolster Arne Slot’s defence. Unfortunately for them, Liverpool aren’t the only team in the frame, with Bayern Munich and Barcelona also keeping an eye on things.
The two European giants have the advantage of being able to discuss a summer free transfer with Guehi in January. Real had been named in reports around Guehi, with the fact his contract expires on June 30 making him a hot prospect for any club considering a new centre-back. But despite being available without a transfer fee next summer, the money involved has reportedly put Xabi Alonso’s side off.
AS claim that Guehi’s salary and the signing-on fee involved in a deal are too steep for Real. The Spanish giants splashed £50m to sign Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth in the summer and don’t have the funds available for Guehi too.
That would leave Bayern as Liverpool’s biggest challenger for Guehi. They know they could lose Dayot Upamecano at the end of the season, with the defender’s contract set to expire, and they are homing in on Guehi.
Sporting director Christoph Freund has spoken to Palace manager Oliver Glasner about Guehi, while director of sport Max Eberl has already met with his representatives in Munich. Bayern would be willing to move for him even if Upamecano signs a new deal.
Palace chairman Parish has hinted that the club would prefer to lose him for free in the summer, rather than sell in January to earn a fee but risk disrupting Glasner’s side mid-season. “We needed to keep Marc because the difference between us having a stellar season and having a relegation-threatened season is us winning five games or not,” Parish told Men in Blazers recently.
“So the margins in the Premier League are very tight and you have to remember that Michael [Olise] has gone, we’re OK, Ebbs (Eberechi Eze) has gone, we’re OK, Wilfred [Zaha] went, we’re OK. There’s a limit to how much you can keep doing that before you break down the fabric of the team.”
Parish added: “Marc was great about it as a person. Liverpool made the offer. It was a massive club, he was obviously interested in going. But he was fine about it, staying, if that was the decision we made. Obviously it means all of the ball is in his court tremendously as a player and he’s got the choice of wherever he wants to go.”
Liverpool are in desperate need of reinforcements in defence after losing summer signing Giovanni Leoni to an ACL injury. His setback has left Joe Gomez as the only senior back-up to Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, but Slot has hinted that moving for Guehi in January isn’t the club’s preferred strategy.