Liverpool came within a whisker of signing England defender Marc Guehi in the summer and were in pole position to take him as a free agent in the summer – but now Manchester City think they’ve got him
Manchester City think they’ve usurped bitter rivals Liverpool and will sign Marc Guehi in the coming days.
The Reds came close to landing Guehi last summer but couldn’t close a deal for the Crystal Palace captain. Both clubs have since held extensive talks with the England defender. And now City are confident that Guehi is set to follow £65million Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo to the Etihad.
They’re expecting to get a deal done for £30m for the 25-year-old, whose contract at Selhurst Park expires in the summer. It is a huge boost for City boss Pep Guardiola who has become desperate to strengthen his defence, following injuries to Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias in recent games.
He has highlighted his desire to the club’s top brass that defensive reinforcements are needed and urged club chiefs to get a deal done with their Palace counterparts.
Guehi has had some of Europe’s biggest clubs have been lining up to sign him on a free transfer, including Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
But City appear to have stolen a march on all of them, by offering Palace a price the London club cannot turn down. And Guehi is keen to play for Guardiola.
His move could open the door on Nathan Ake’s switch to south London, which has stalled amid City’s defensive injury crisis. And it could also be bad news for his England team-mate John Stones.
Stones is out of contract at the end of this season and has been hoping to sign an extension.
But no agreement has been reached and Guardiola, who has lauded Stones’ qualities throughout their time together, has reservations about the centre back’s fitness problems.
Stones, who will be 32 in May, has been restricted to just seven league appearances this season due to injuries.
He knows he is likely to fall down the pecking order even further if City secure the services of his Three Lions team-mate.