Marc Guehi looks set to stay at Crystal Palace despite his proposed move to Liverpool having come incredibly close to completion on deadline day.
The 25-year-old centre back underwent a medical with the Reds after a £35million fee was agreed between the clubs, with a five-year contract drawn up.
A deal sheet was submitted to the Premier League in good time.
But the move collapsed when Palace were unable to secure a replacement defender in time, forcing the club to block the sale.
That leaves Guehi to continue as captain at Selhurst Park, while Liverpool may revisit their interest in future windows.
The England international joined Palace from Chelsea in 2021 and has since become one of the Premier League’s most consistent performers, featuring for Gareth Southgate’s side at Euro 2024.
Marc Guehi looks set to stay at Crystal Palace, despite having completed a Liverpool medical
Guehi scored a stunning goal on Sunday in what was expected to be his final game for Palace
Palace boss Oliver Glasner made clear over the weekend that he did not want to lose Guehi without a replacement lined up, stressing the defender was ‘necessary’ to the club’s hopes of enjoying a successful season.
‘We had a meeting in March where we talked about the situation and we had an agreement that we could sell Marc if we had the right replacement in,’ Glasner explained. ‘We wanted to have this replacement at the beginning of pre-season to be independent.
‘That was on July 9 when the season started. It’s August 31 and there is no replacement in the building so it’s clear one part of the agreement is not fulfilled. That means we can’t sell Marc. It’s not a wish or gift for Oliver Glasner, it’s necessary for playing a successful season.’
Guehi, who has 23 England caps, scored in Palace’s 3-0 victory over Aston Villa on Sunday, but declined to address the transfer speculation afterwards. ‘All I know is when you score goals like that it is always down to team performance,’ he said.
The collapse came amid a frantic close to the window that still saw Liverpool complete a British-record £125m deal for Newcastle striker Alexander Isak, while elsewhere Arsenal landed Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie and Tottenham confirmed the shock signing of Randal Kolo Muani on loan from Paris Saint-Germain.
