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Manchester City is interested in signing Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace this month but Oliver Glasner could stand in the player's way – just as he did last summer
Manchester City has emerged as a contender to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace during the January transfer window, after the Blues were hit by injuries to a couple of key players against Chelsea.
Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias both sustained issues during Sunday's game, with Pep Guardiola expecting the players to be sidelined for several weeks.
Two other senior center-backs in the City squad, John Stones and Nathan Ake, have been beset by fitness issues this season too, leaving City seriously short in that department.
“We will see tomorrow [about Gvardiol], but it doesn’t look good for him or Ruben,” said Guardiola after City's 1-1 draw with Chelsea.
READ MORE: Federico Chiesa's thoughts on Juventus transfer return as Liverpool woes remainREAD MORE: When Mohamed Salah plays next at AFCON as Egypt begins knockout stagesPressed if Dias had suffered a muscle problem, Guardiola responded: “Yes, it looks like it. I didn’t speak with the doctor but if Ruben is out it is because he felt something
“Of course we have a lot [of injuries]. John Stones is missing for many months; Ruben will be out and Josko will be out. Always we know with Nathan that he cannot play regularly.
“After what happened last season, if we stay strong we will find a solution and the spirit will be there. If the spirit is there, we will be there.”
City's injury issues at the back could see the Etihad Stadium club swoop for Palace captain Guehi, who is into the final six months of his contract with the Eagles and will be available on a free transfer in the summer.
Rather than lose him for nothing, Palace could opt to sell Guehi for a cut-price fee this month, but that would not go down well with manager Oliver Glasner, who said in December that he "wanted to keep everyone" in his squad during the January window.
If Palace chiefs were to overrule Glasner and accept an offer for the England international, that would risk alienating the Palace boss, which is something that the South London club would surely be mindful of.
After all, it was Glasner who played the biggest role in blocking Guehi's transfer to Liverpool last summer.
Liverpool struck an agreement with Palace to sign Guehi on transfer deadline day, only for the Selhurst Park club to U-turn on the deal at the 11th hour over Glasner's concerns that Guehi's departure would leave him light on options in the center of his team's defense.
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