1 hour ago
26
Real Madrid has reportedly withdrawn its interest in Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi ahead of the January transfer window. The highly coveted Guehi is contracted with Palace until 2026, but it seems Madrid won't be his next port of call.
The England international was on the cusp of a move to Liverpool on transfer deadline day, only for Palace chairman Steve Parish to put a stop to it at the last minute.
His $46 million move didn't materialize, yet Liverpool is still keen on bringing the 26 year old on board to bolster Arne Slot's defense. However, they face fierce competition, with Bayern Munich and Barcelona also keeping tabs on the situation.
Both European giants have an advantage as they can negotiate a free summer transfer with Guehi come January.
Guehi, whose contract expires on June 30, making him an appealing prospect for any club in need of a new centre-back, had also been linked with Real.
However, despite being available on a free transfer next summer, the financial implications have seemingly put off Xabi Alonso's side.
Spanish publication AS reports that Guehi's wages and potential signing-on fee are too steep for Madrid. The Spanish heavyweights splashed out $65M to bring Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth in the summer and don't have the funds to accommodate Guehi as well.
That positions Bayern Munich as Liverpool's chief competitor in the pursuit of Guehi. The Bavarian powerhouse recognizes it might lose Dayot Upamecano when his deal runs down at the season's conclusion, and has earmarked Guehi as its preferred replacement.
Bayern continues to harbor ambitions of landing his services regardless of whether Upamecano pens a new agreement.
Palace supremo Parish has indicated the club would prefer to see him depart without a fee next summer rather than capitalize in January and potentially undermine Glasner's objectives.
"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.
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
"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 is facing a defensive crisis after summer signing Giovanni Leoni was ruled out with an ACL injury, leaving Joe Gomez as the only senior cover for Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can read the original story in the Express by clicking here.
English (US) ·