Marc Guehi to Liverpool transfer latest as Oliver Glasner takes hardline stance after £35m bid

Marc Guehi to Liverpool transfer latest as Oliver Glasner takes hardline stance after £35m bid

Liverpool remain locked in talks with Crystal Palace over Marc Guehi as Oliver Glasner doubles down on his refusal to allow a deal to go through

Liverpool remain locked in talks for Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi (Image: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Liverpool remain locked in talks over an agreement for Marc Guehi - with Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner demanding a replacement is signed before the England international can leave.

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The Premier League champions tabled an offer of £35m with a 10% sell-on clause on Saturday but the FA Cup holders are looking for £40m for their captain and negotiations remain ongoing on transfer deadline day.

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The Reds had earmarked the Palace skipper as a target earlier this summer but with the Three Lions centre-back heading into the final 12 months of his deal at Selhurst Park, the champions took a relaxed stance, believing they could snare him either at a knock-down price later in the window or as a free agent next year.

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The ECHO reported in June that Liverpool were prepared to be patient in their pursuit of Guehi in the belief they could sign him late in the window as a knock-down price given his contract status.

A breakthrough had been expected after Palace's Conference League qualifier against Fredrikstadt on Thursday night, a game which Glasner insisted Guehi had to be involved in to help secure a historic first campaign in Europe for the Eagles.

However, Guehi remains a Palace player for now and scored an eye-catching goal in Sunday's impressive 3-0 victory over Aston Villa at Villa Park and Glasner, who is desperate to keep his skipper, believes it is too late in the window to source an adequate replacement.

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Glasner revealed that Guehi had been told in March he would be allowed to leave if the club could find someone to join at centre-back.

Back in June, Sporting's Ousmane Diomande was outlined as the primary target, while talks over Toulouse's 19-year-old Jaydee Canvot are now said to be at an advanced stage. Roma's Evan Ndicka is another who is said to be attracting interest at Selhurst Park alongside Manchester City's Switzerland international Manu Akanji.

Speaking to Sky Sports after that 3-0 win over Villa, Glasner said: "For playing a successful season we need Marc and it is not possible with one day left to find a replacement who can play in the Premier League. You've seen out defensive setup, I have spoken about it quite often, this is our foundation and everyone knows exactly what he has to do.

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"Everyone can rely on each other and Marc, of course, is not just a small part of the puzzle, he is our captain, so we have to keep him. I told this to the chairman and again it's not for me. It's nice because I like Marc, he is such a professional and such a nice guy, but it's for the future of Crystal Palace and playing a successful season, so we have to keep him.

"And especially we talked and said we [will] sell Marc if we have the right replacements, and we don't have the right replacements, so for me, it's clear to keep him."

In his post-match press conference, the Palace coach added: "We had a meeting in March and we had an agreement that we’re just selling Marc if we have the right replacement in. And we wanted to have this replacement at the beginning of the season, the pre-season, to be independent from this situation.

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"This was July 9, today is August 31, there is no replacement in the building. So it is clear that one part of the agreement is not fulfilled, that means we can’t sell Marc.

"And it’s not for Oliver Glasner. It’s not a gift or a wish for Oliver Glasner. It’s necessary for playing a successful season. We had a great start, we are the first time European football and I think our fans deserve to have the best players available.

"And know, if we don’t sell Marc then Marc will accept it. Because he loves Crystal Palace, he loves the team and we feel the appreciation he has and he also feels the same from his side."

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Speaking after his performance at Villa, Guehi claimed the ongoing speculation was not affecting him, saying: "What do the fans and the club mean to me? A lot.

"I'm a south London boy, grew up in south London, I captained the football club from an early age, so they've been fantastic for me and my family, you know, so definitely a pleasure to be playing for this football club.

"I'm OK, I'm OK. I'm dealing with [the speculation well]? I guess so. I don't like the limelight too much, the cameras in my face, everyone talking about me, but I am glad I have a good club, good team-mates around me, so I can focus on what matters, which is the football. It makes it easier for me. So yeah, I'm glad my family can be there to help me, the staff and everyone at Palace, so it is good."

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Follow transfer deadline day live with the ECHO Transfer deadline day is almost upon us and Liverpool still have business to do. It's already been a busy summer for the Premier League champions but they could still pull off a couple of blockbuster signings as the window comes to a close. Alexander Isak's future remains unresolved, with the striker refusing to play or train for Newcastle United. Liverpool remain interested in a deal for the Swede. Meanwhile, Marc Guehi has been a player of interest all summer and Liverpool could still launch a last-minute deal for the Crystal Palace defender. You can keep up-to-date with all the latest transfer news and receive updates directly to your phone by subscribing to our LFC newsletters or joining our WhatsApp community below: LFC NEWSLETTER

LFC WHATSAPP COMMUNITY You can also follow LivEchoLFC on X (formerly Twitter) or Facebook, or listen to our podcasts on Spotify or YouTube by searching for Blood Red.

Speaking at Wembley after the Community Shield between Palace and Liverpool in August, chairman Steve Parish admitted the south Londoners were unable to allow a player of such value leave the club for nothing at the end of his contract.

“Yes, of course, for players of that calibre to leave on a free, it is a problem for a football club,” Parish said. “There is no doubt about it, unfortunately. Joachim (Anderson) went (last summer to Fulham) and we couldn’t afford to lose both of them.

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"We then had another bid in January but that was a difficult situation as well. We will just have to see what happens. It needs a new contract or a conclusion of some kind.

“In the end, people trade players. That is what football clubs do. Of course, if you don’t care about tomorrow ever and put it all off, then we are a fantastic team.

“If we had four more players, I don’t know what we could achieve. Unfortunately, it is not always as simple as that. We have got a lot of outgoings this year because we are paying a lot of transfer fees for players that we have already got."

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Parish added: "If you see the fees, they are just nuts. The money we are paying, crazy. We will have to see. We will do whatever we can. We won’t stop working. But as far as people being here or not being here, it depends.

"If it is the right decision for the football club and for them, there will be changes. But we have got to make smart ones.”

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