Marc Guehi is expected to depart Crystal Palace in the summer transfer window, with the Eagles now searching for replacements for their star defender and captain.
Crystal Palace have drawn up a list of replacements for Marc Guehi, with the centre-back set to leave in the summer transfer window.
Guehi has starred for Palace since joining the Eagles from Chelsea for £18million in 2021 and is now club captain. The defender has also earned a place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad, starting the Three Lions’ last two games.
His performances have seen him attract the attention of several top clubs. And with Palace set for a major rebuild in the summer under new boss Oliver Glasner, they could cash in on their star skipper. If that happens, a replacement will be needed, given his importance to the Eagles’ backline. With the summer a matter of months away, Palace transfer chiefs have already started to prepare for that search.
According to the Daily Telegraph, the Premier League strugglers have complied a list of defensive targets for the summer window. Palace are said to be showing ‘early interest’ in central defenders from European leagues.
Guehi currently has just two years remaining on his contract, with the upcoming window likely Palace’s final chance to sell the 23-year-old for a large fee. The Eagles have slapped a £50m price tag on the defender’s head.
They are hoping to secure a club record fee, eclipsing that which saw Aaron Wan-Bissaka join Manchester United five years ago. United are among the club thought to be chasing Guehi’s signature.
But it is Liverpool who are the current frontrunners for the 23-year-old. Arsenal and Tottenham have also expressed an interest in Guehi, who is currently sidelined with injury.
The defender was forced off just 30 minutes into Palace’s dreadful defeat to Brighton last month. He later underwent minor knee surgery, which is expected to rule him out for up to eight weeks.
It was initially expected that Guehi would only be out for three weeks, but Palace decided to send him for an operation. It leaves him in a race against time to be fit for this summer’s Euro 2024 championships.
He will certainly miss the upcoming international break in which England will face Brazil and Belgium at Wembley. Guehi is hoping to fit for the final games of the Premier League campaign though.
That could hand him the chance to prove his fitness to Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate. But it appears new boss Glasner will only have a limited time working with the Eagles captain before his exit.
