Marc Guehi makes Liverpool transfer claim ahead of Man City meeting - 'Wasn't up to me'

Marc Guehi has opened up on facing Liverpool for the first time as a Manchester City player after the England international came close to joining the Reds in the summer

Marc Guehi speaks to Sky Sports ahead of Manchester City's big match with Liverpool at Anfield

Marc Guehi has discussed the prospect of facing Liverpool for the first time as a Manchester City player. The England international has already come up against the club he nearly joined last summer on two occasions this season.

On both outings, he emerged victorious, captaining Crystal Palace to a dramatic 2-1 Premier League win at Selhurst Park in September, before securing a commanding 3-0 Carabao Cup triumph at Anfield the following month.

As is widely known, Guehi was on the brink of joining Liverpool on transfer deadline day in September, only for Palace to scrap the £35 million ($48M) deal at the eleventh hour.

The Reds were then anticipated to renew their pursuit of the center-half in the summer when his Eagles contract was due to run out. However, plans were disrupted last month when City tabled a £20M ($27M) bid for his signature.

With Palace aware they were poised to lose their captain for nothing, they accepted the offer and Guehi promptly became City's second acquisition of the transfer window following the £64M ($87M) capture of Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo, who had also been linked with Liverpool, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Had circumstances been different, Guehi could easily have been donning red in Sunday's crucial clash at Anfield.

Marc Guehi came close to joining Liverpool in the summer(Image: Getty Images)

Instead, he will be sporting the sky blue of City who, should Arsenal triumph at home to Sunderland on Saturday, could find themselves nine points adrift at the summit of the title race.

When asked about the prospect of facing Liverpool, Guehi told Sky Sports: "I said in previous interviews, it wasn't really up to me, it was God's plan, and God's plan has come to full fruition.

"So I'm just looking forward to the game, against tough opposition, in a great environment, and we'll be doing our best to get a win."

It's understood that the Reds didn't see signing Guehi in the recently closed window as a market opportunity compared to last summer and the upcoming one, hence they refrained from competing with City.

Instead, Liverpool secured a £60M ($82M) deal to bring Jeremy Jacquet from Rennes to Merseyside this summer.

When questioned about his move to City, Guehi, who was also linked with Arsenal and Bayern Munich, revealed: "Things happen quite quickly to be honest but it was how keen the club were and how sure the club were on me.

"I listened to the project and talked to the important people and I was very sure. So it happened in a very quick space of time.

Marc Guehi joined Manchester City in January(Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images)

"Just being here for two minutes, it feels like I've learned so much from every single person - from the players, the staff and of course the manager. In such a short space of time it feels like my head has been filled with so much knowledge. It's exactly what I've wanted for so long, so it's great."

Despite rumors, the Reds also didn't pursue their alleged interest in Semenyo, who has hit the ground running at City, netting four goals in six matches.

When questioned about Sunday's crucial match, Semenyo expressed: "It's exciting, for me anyway. These are the games that define the season essentially, especially for us wanting the top spot.

"We're going to enjoy it. It's going to be a tough game, but these are the games that define the season, so it's going to be great."