Crystal Palace boss gives Liverpool hope over Marc Guéhi January transfer

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has offered Liverpool a small but significant glimmer of hope in their long-standing pursuit of Marc Guéhi, admitting he does not know whether the club captain will remain at Selhurst Park during the January transfer window.

The Liverpool were on the brink of signing Marc Guéhi in the summer, only for the deal to collapse dramatically on deadline day.

Liverpool had agreed a £35m fee with Crystal Palace, and Guéhi even underwent a medical. However, Palace ultimately pulled the plug when they failed to secure a suitable replacement for their captain before the window closed.

The England international is now entering a critical phase of his contract situation. His deal expires at the end of the 2025/26 season, and Guéhi has no intention of signing a new contract. As things stand, Palace face losing him on a free transfer — a scenario that could push them towards a January sale.

Speaking ahead of Palace’s clash with Fulham, Oliver Glasner was refreshingly candid when asked about Guéhi’s future, as well as that of striker Jean-Philippe Mateta.

“You will ask me all these questions again and again and again,” Glasner said.
“I need to find one answer. I will always tell you the same, as long as I don't know anything else.

“Because, believe me, if I knew something, I would tell you. So I don't know what's going on. I don't know what will happen with Marc. I don't know what will happen with new players, and I don't know what will happen with JP. I don't know anything.”

That lack of clarity from the Palace boss will not go unnoticed at Anfield.

Liverpool’s interest in Guéhi has not diminished — and their need may now be greater than ever. Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté are currently the only fully fit senior centre-backs available.

Joe Gomez remains sidelined with a muscle injury, while Giovanni Leoni is out for the season after rupturing his ACL. Adding to the uncertainty, Konaté’s contract expires in the summer and he has yet to commit his long-term future to the club.

If Liverpool delay, they risk losing Guéhi altogether. With his contract running down, the defender has attracted serious interest from European heavyweights including Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City, all reportedly monitoring his situation.

Last month, Palace chairman Steve Parish suggested Liverpool could have avoided the summer collapse by moving earlier in the window.

“We’re not going to throw it all on red and have a massive problem,” Parish told The Athletic. “You can’t spend money you don’t have. There wasn’t the right thing available at the right time when the finances were in place.

“You can’t always make happen what you want to. We are where we are in the pecking order.”

With Guéhi refusing to renew and Palace facing the risk of losing a valuable asset for nothing, January now represents a pivotal moment. Glasner’s admission that he does not know what will happen only adds to the uncertainty — and opens the door, however slightly, for Liverpool to reignite a deal that once looked inevitable.

Should Liverpool move decisively for Marc Guéhi in January — or risk losing him to Europe’s elite for free?