Marc Guehi Liverpool transfer 'off': What it means for Arne Slot, Crystal Palace defender as Oliver Glasner gets his way

Liverpool's bid to lure Marc Guehi away from Crystal Palace has supposedly ended in failure, as the England international is now set to remain at Selhurst Park.

The Reds had agreed a £35m deal for the former Chelsea centre-back, whom Eagles chairman Steve Parish was open to selling given that he had entered the final year of his contract.

Palace were said to have identified Brighton & Hove Albion's Igor Julio as a replacement, but the Seagulls defender turned his nose up to a move to Selhurst Park in favour of joining West Ham United.

The FA Cup winners nevertheless managed to secure the signing of Jaydee Canvot from Toulouse, but Oliver Glasner was not prepared to let Guehi depart without another defensive reinforcement coming in.

Now, The Athletic reports that Guehi is expected to remain at Selhurst Park for the 2025-26 season, in spite of the fact that Liverpool had submitted a deal sheet to the Premier League.

The Reds therefore had until 9pm to get the transfer done, and Guehi had already completed the main formalities of his move, completing part of a medical and agreeing a five-year contract.

However, Palace boss Glasner ultimately got his way, and barring a miraculous late turnaround in the next hour, Guehi will not be a Liverpool player just yet.

What next for Liverpool and Guehi after transfer collapse?

Never a dull moment on deadline day.

One can understand both Parish and Glasner's differing points of view; from a business aspect, selling a player who is in the final year of his contract at a profit is a deal that is too good for Palace's money men to turn down.

On the other hand, Glasner would have lost his most influential on-field leader had Guehi been sold, and as talented as 19-year-old Canvot may be, he is far from ready to fill the former's boots on a regular basis.

Guehi has gone about the saga with nothing but grace and professionalism, and there will be nothing stopping him securing his dream move to Liverpool on a free transfer when his contract runs out in 2026.

The only way that Guehi may not end up at Anfield is if Ibrahima Konate - also out of contract in 2026 - ends up penning a new deal, but the chances of the Real Madrid-linked centre-back extending appear unlikely.

Therefore, the deadline-day saga should have only just delayed Guehi's switch to the Merseysiders by a year - or until January - while Slot must work with a slightly depleted defence for the next few months.

However, Dominik Szoboszlai's brilliance at right-back means that Joe Gomez is an alternative option in the right centre-back slot, where Wataru Endo could also do a job in an emergency.