Pep Guardiola offers blunt transfer hint after links with Liverpool target Marc Guehi

Liverpool and Man City have both been tipped to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace, and Pep Guardiola has offered a hint on his side's activity in the January window

Pep Guardiola during a press conference(Image: Dennis Agyeman/Europa Press via Getty Images)

Pep Guardiola has played down the chances of Manchester City spending big this January, despite the Etihad side looking set to sign Antoine Semenyo for $88 million (£65 million), amid links with Marc Guehi.

Earlier on Tuesday, Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola hinted that Semenyo will leave the Cherries following their game with Tottenham on Wednesday. The 25-year-old Ghana star, who has scored nine goals in the Premier League this season, is expected to move to the North West.

On Monday, it was reported by the BBC that Manchester City could move for Liverpool transfer target Marc Guehi, too, after Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias picked up injuries against Chelsea.

However, Guardiola moved to play down the chances of his side being particularly active this month. Guehi remains of interest to the Reds, who could sign him for free in the summer.

"Maybe we will get something, but it's completely different (to last year)," Guardiola said ahead of Manchester City hosting Brighton in the Premier League.

"We are not going to buy four or five players like happened last season to be the (highest) net spend in this country. We are not, but apparently always we are."

Pep Guardiola and Arne Slot are both keen on signing Marc Guehi(Image: Shaun Brooks - CameraSport via Getty Images)

In January 2025, Manchester City signed Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Vitor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov for a combined sum of around $235M, with only the first two having made much of an impact.

Guehi almost signed for Liverpool in September, but the deal broke down at the last minute when Crystal Palace failed to source a replacement.

While Oliver Glasner would rather keep him this month rather than cash in, the Eagles boss admitted that things are not entirely in his hands ahead of the window opening.

"The next 31 days will be everything is possible, like always, and everything I say today might be wrong in two days," Glasner said at the end of December.

"And I think most of what I say today will be definitely wrong by the end of the transfer window, because I don’t know, and that’s why I don’t really care about it, especially I don’t want to talk about it in public.

"Everything I say today might be wrong. That’s why the best thing is say nothing. You will ask me all these questions again and again and again. I need to find one answer. I will always tell you the same, as long as I don’t know anything else.

"Because, believe me, if I knew something. I would tell you. So I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know what will happen with Marc. I don’t know what will happen with new players, and I don’t know what will happen with JP (Jean-Philippe Mateta), I don’t know anything."

Liverpool.com says: Guehi almost signed for the Reds only a few months ago and he was so close to the move. While lots of clubs around Europe are keen, that could give Liverpool an advantage.