7 hours ago
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Liverpool's hopes of signing Marc Guehi have been dashed for the time being, as Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has firmly stated that the player is not for sale amidst a challenging situation at the club.
Crystal Palace faced Fredrikstad in the first leg of their Conference League play-off on Thursday night without Eberechi Eze, who is set to join Arsenal. Despite the distraction caused by Eze's impending move to Arsenal, Palace managed a 1-0 victory over the Norwegian side, with Guehi leading the team as captain.
Guehi has featured in both of Palace's matches this season and continues to be in discussions about a potential move to Liverpool during the summer transfer window, which concludes on September 1. With only a year left on his contract with Palace, the club faces the pressure of selling him now or risk losing him for free next summer.
The situation has proven frustrating for Glasner, who voiced his disappointment with his squad after only being able to name nine out of the allowed 12 substitutes on Thursday. When asked by Channel 5 if Palace would retain Guehi, Glasner responded: "We have to, especially for the second leg," adding, "No injured player will come back and we cannot register anyone so we have to keep him.
"We already rested Chris Richards and Ty Mitchell who had small problems. There is no other choice than keeping Marc for these games. He knows it, everybody knows it. If we want to compete in all of these competitions we need players, that is pretty clear."
Crystal Palace is set to travel to Norway for the second leg of the play-off on Thursday August 28, leaving a three-day window for Guehi to potentially join Liverpool. However, negotiations have hit a roadblock, with Palace holding out for $60M (£45m) for their captain, while Liverpool are unwilling to exceed $47M (£35m).
"If Marc [Guehi] leaves maybe I will try my boots because I was a center-back. We have to act. It's Crystal Palace's future and we need to add numbers," Glasner added.
"We are very, very late to find replacements. I think we could behaved much better than we did. It's not the best way to start the season. I think we are below the edge."
While Glasner is keen to retain his centre-back, Palace chairman Steve Parish has a more pragmatic view. He said: "If Marc wants to sign a new contract then he can stay! It's a difficult situation. Everyone has to sell players to comply with the rules. That's a situation that we will have to look at in the next 11 days."
With Eze absent from Selhurst Park, all eyes were on Guehi, who was followed by a cameraman across the pitch as he acknowledged the fans after the final whistle. "There's other players you know," he said with a grin, gesturing over his shoulder.
Parish has overseen the departure of Eze to Arsenal and said: "It is what it is, we've got to move past. He's been fantastic for the club, we all love him for what he's done, what he's achieved and we're pleased he can go on and achieve the other ambitions that he's got.
"The King is dead, long live the King, we have to move past it. We have to find other players to bring in that can support the rest of the team and Oliver.
"We'll bring in players, it's about finding the right ones. It's difficult to replace players like that. We're probably a little bit thin anyway. We'll try and use the money and make ourselves, maybe not as individually as good, but broader with a stronger base and with a few more options."
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