Marc Guehi January transfer ‘closer’ after ‘important proposal’ received amid firm Man City, Liverpool interest

Marc Guehi is reportedly ‘closer’ to leaving Crystal Palace in the January transfer window amid interest from several top European clubs.

Speculation continues to mount around the 25-year-old England international at a time when he has entered the final six months of his contract at Selhurst Park.

Guehi looked set to complete a £35m move to Liverpool on the final day of the summer transfer window, only for Palace to pull the plug at the eleventh hour after they were unable to sign a replacement.

Arne Slot's side still hold a firm interest in Guehi, while Premier League rival Arsenal and Manchester City are also understood to have identified the defender as a target.

Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan are other top teams said to have shown an interest in signing Guehi on a free transfer in the summer, with market regulations allowing the defender to sign a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs in January.

However, Palace would allegedly entertain selling Guehi for the right price this month, to avoid losing him for free later this year, and one club in particular have now emerged as strong contenders to win the race for his signature.

Man City make ‘big approach’ for Guehi as January deal edges ‘closer’

According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, Man City have advanced on a deal to sign Guehi this month and a ‘big approach’ has been made in the last 12 hours.

Romano adds that the Citizens have presented an ‘important proposal’ to Guehi relating to terms on a contract, and they will soon be ready to proceed with negotiations with Crystal Palace.

It is claimed by Romano that a deal to sign Guehi is ‘now closer’ with Man City, which comes as a blow for a number of top European clubs including Liverpool, who narrowly missed out on his signature in the summer.

Previous reports have suggested that Guehi would favour remaining at Palace in January and reassessing his options at the end of the current campaign when he becomes a free agent.

However, the possibility of joining one of the best clubs in the world, managed by perennial winner Pep Guardiola, that is competing for multiple trophies could be too good of an opportunity to turn down.

Meanwhile, Palace boss Oliver Glasner has admitted that the “final decision is always with the player” and he could be sold if a “massive offer” is received by the club.

Why are Man City keen to sign Guehi this month?

Guehi has established himself as one of the best and most consistent centre-backs in the Premier League since joining Crystal Palace from Chelsea in 2021.

He led the Eagles to FA Cup glory in the 2024-25 campaign - the club’s first-ever major trophy - and made a total of 44 appearances across all competitions, chipping in with three goals and two assists in the Premier League.

This term, Guehi has already played 33 times for Glasner’s side, recording three goals and four assists for a Palace outfit sitting 13th in the Premier League table - albeit only five points behind the top five - and will soon compete in the knockout playoff rounds in the Conference League.

Man City have decided to step up their interest in Guehi this month as defensive trio Josko Gvardiol, Ruben Dias and John Stones are all sidelined with injuries, the former of whom could miss the rest of the season with a tibial fracture.

The Citizens have coped well with Abdukodir Khusanov and Max Alleyne at centre-back in recent matches, but adding an experienced Premier League-proven star in Guehi to their ranks could boost their hopes of reducing the six-point gap to Premier League leaders Arsenal, as well as challenge for other trophies this term.