Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has suggested that the club would rather allow Marc Guehi to depart for nothing at the conclusion of the campaign, rather than sell him in January. It was Parish who scuppered a £35million deadline day switch to Liverpool and he has now clarified Palace’s position.
Guehi had been poised to join Liverpool before Palace had second thoughts about parting with their skipper without securing a replacement. The England international had been eager to make the move to Anfield but has maintained his excellent form for Palace throughout this season.He will depart Palace in 2026, when his deal runs out in the summer, but his next club and departure timing remain unclear.
Liverpool have been accompanied by European heavyweights Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Barcelona in expressing interest and nothing has been finalised yet.
Bayern and the Spanish giants hold the benefit of being permitted to discuss terms with Guehi in January regarding a free move in July.
And it appears that Palace would have no interest in securing a transfer fee in the New Year and would prefer to retain Guehi’s services until the conclusion of the 2025/26 season.
“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.
“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.”
Liverpool are desperately seeking defensive reinforcements following Giovanni Leoni’s injury blow during the summer.
The Reds have suffered six defeats in their previous seven outings across all competitions before Saturday’s clash with Aston Villa, potentially making a January swoop for Guehi attractive to Arne Slot and the club’s decision-makers.
With the foundations already established and Guehi’s eagerness to make the switch, Liverpool could still hold the advantage for the defender.
However, they might regret Parish’s deadline day stance should a competitor strike first.
“It was a very marginal call,” 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. It was a very difficult one but I think definitely the right one.”