Premier League champions had arranged a medical for the defender, but then Crystal Palace pulled out of deal
Liverpool came close to concluding a deal for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi on deadline day, but it ended in frustration after the London club withdrew from negotiations at the final stage.
But why did Palace withdraw, and what does this mean for Guehi – can he still become a Liverpool player?
Liverpool had agreed a £35m fee for the England international and arranged a medical, but Palace reversed their position late on Monday when they were unable to finalise a replacement signing.
What is the background to the story?
Palace were only ever going to sanction a move for Guehi if they were able to get in a replacement in time.
Guehi has been an important player for Palace since joining from Chelsea in 2021. Manager Oliver Glasner wanted to keep hold of his captain, whom he considered a vital member of the squad.
But at the same time, Palace had wanted to sell because Guehi was entering the last year of his contract, and failing to get a fee for him this summer would mean he leaves for free next year.
Palace chairman Steven Parish said at the time that “for players of that calibre to leave on a free, it’s a problem”. The club would have preferred him to sign a new contract this summer and then go for a fee next year, but Guehi was unwilling to do sign one.
Manager and club then reached an agreement at the start of the window that they could let Guehi go for a fee this summer, but only if they signed a suitable replacement.
However, getting in that replacement was difficult. Two weeks ago, Glasner expressed his frustration that Palace have been selling their prized assets without adequate replacements, warning the club they were toying with relegation.
With Palace still leaning towards selling Guehi, Glasner said last week: “From my side, he has to [stay]. It’s not possible at the moment to find a Marc Guehi replacement who can play straight in the Premier League, being a starter, being consistent.
The Austrian added: “We need to keep Marc if we want to play a successful season. We have an agreement that if we’re selling Marc we have the right replacement in.
“We wanted to have this replacement at the beginning of the pre-season. There’s no replacement in the building. It’s clear one part of the agreement is not fulfilled. That means we can’t sell Marc.
“It’s not a wish or a gift to Oliver Glasner. It’s necessary for playing a successful season. It’s a tempting situation but if we want to progress, we have to keep him. If we sell we accept a step back.”
What happened on deadline day?
Palace had signed 19-year-old Jaydee Canvot from Toulouse earlier in the summer, but the youngster was seen as a prospect rather than a ready-to-go replacement for Guehi. On deadline day, Palace then moved for Brighton defender Igor Julio, whose signing would have allowed the club to sell Guehi.
A £35m offer was agreed with Liverpool and the champions even arranged a quick medical, but then Igor’s move to Palace collapsed, with the 27-year-old choosing West Ham instead.
With Glasner adamant that Palace should respect their agreement with him, the club pulled the plug on Guehi’s move at the last minute.
It is a setback for Liverpool, who had identified Guehi as the ideal addition to strengthen their back line. The club have brought in 18-year-old Giovanni Leoni from Parma, but they were eager to add an experienced Premier League-proven player in central defence this window.
Can Guehi still join Liverpool?
Guehi’s contract expires next summer, which means that from January he is free to speak to other clubs about joining as a free agent. If the player is still interested in moving to Merseyside, he could sign for Liverpool on a free next year.
It is possible to sign a pre-contract agreement in January. Alternatively, Liverpool could also pay Palace a reduced fee to sign him in January, which would be something similar to what Real Madrid did to have Trent Alexander-Arnold released in time for the Club World Cup this summer.
The risk for Liverpool, however, is that from now till January or next summer, the possibility remains for another club to swoop in and hijack a deal for the defender.
