2 days ago
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Former Everton boss Sean Dyche has hinted that Crystal Palace may have backtracked on a gentleman's agreement to let Marc Guehi depart following Liverpool's interest.
The Reds initiated discussions with Palace last week regarding a potential move for Guehi, who has just 12 months remaining on his Selhurst Park deal. Nevertheless, no fee has been agreed for the center-back, with a significant gap reportedly existing between Liverpool's valuation and Palace's demands.
Rumors intensified over the weekend when reports emerged that Guehi had blanked Palace manager Oliver Glasner on the pitch after the team's scoreless Premier League stalemate with Chelsea. Dyche, who has previously managed Watford and Burnley, suspects there may be tensions between Palace and Guehi.
"When you make a lot of signings, you do the agreement for their contract, but we'll sort out a gentleman's agreement where we say we'll honor the player with an agreement off the record," he said.
"Now you never know whether that's been said there.
"With Guehi, and I imagine this is what's happened, probably a year ago, they said, 'Look, we get it, you're going to stick with us.'
"And last summer, he stuck with it.
"Again at Christmas, he stuck with it.
"They might have said, 'By next summer, we'll know what's going to happen.'"
Dyche, in a chat on the Footy Accumulators No Tippy Tappy Football podcast in partnership with BOYLE Sports, added: "And if he's a good professional, which he seems fantastic to me, he doesn't want to go out there and start saying all that.
"But at one point, he might have to go, 'Hang on a minute, they told me that if we do this, this, and this, then they'll let me have my chance.'
"I've done it, and most managers have done it.
"You say to the agent, 'We both know if they do that, we'll get them.'
"Because there has to be some kind of negotiation, especially when I was at Burnley, because they're not a giant in football, so if a player does well, we couldn't just keep them there."
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