4 hours ago
3
Marc Guehi did little to cool speculation over his future after featuring in Crystal Palace’s Europa Conference League clash.
With the transfer window closing in just over a week, chairman Steve Parish has admitted the club faces a difficult situation if the defender does not agree to fresh terms at Selhurst Park. Palace has set a $60 million price tag, though Liverpool is thought to value him closer to $47 million, given he has only 12 months remaining on his deal.
Despite the uncertainty, Guehi played a key role as Palace opened its European campaign with a 1-0 win over Fredrikstad, days after holding Chelsea to a draw in the Eagles Premier League opener.
At the final whistle, Channel 5 cameras caught Guehi saluting the Crystal Palace faithful. With a wry smile, he glanced at the lens and quipped: “There’s other players, you know.”
Though delivered in jest as he waved to the stands, the remark carried a subtle message—Guehi urging the spotlight to shift back onto his team-mates amid the mounting speculation over his future.
Since arriving from Chelsea in 2021, the defender has made over 158 appearances and worn the captain’s armband during a remarkable spell of success for Palace. He lifted the FA Cup in May before adding the Community Shield earlier this month with victory over Liverpool at Wembley.
The night also highlighted further change on the horizon for Palace, with midfielder Eberechi Eze edging closer to a $80 million move to Arsenal.
Talks between Liverpool and Crystal Palace are ongoing and set to continue in the coming days, with Guehi seen as a possible long-term successor to Virgil van Dijk.
The Palace chairman has conceded he may have little choice but to sanction a sale before the window closes. "If Marc Guehi wants to sign a contract, he can stay" said Parish.
"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 days."
Just minutes earlier, Oliver Glasner had appeared to undercut the interview during his post-match press conference. The Palace manager insisted that Guehi “has to stay” and even joked he might have to lace up his own boots given the team’s shortage of center-backs.
"We are very, very late to find replacements" said the Austrian. "I think we could have behaved much better than we did. It's not the best way to start the season. I think we are below the edge.
"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."
English (US) ·