New £70 million transfer claim for Marc Guehi from Newcastle United; Crystal Palace decision pending
In the last few days of the transfer window, Newcastle United is pressing to reach an agreement on a club record move for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi.
Monday saw Newcastle and Palace engage in advanced negotiations, with rumors circulating that a deal worth close to £70 million was “close.” That’s according to Mail Online, which stated that by the time The Magpies’ Carabao Cup second round journey to Nottingham Forest ends on Wednesday night, Guehi’s future should be settled.
Guehi, a 24-year-old center back, captained The Eagles in their first two Premier League losses, and with the team in need of a boost to advance to the next round of the cup, he may play again when Crystal Palace hosts Championship team Norwich City at Selhurst Park on Tuesday evening.
That would, however, potentially diminish his value in Newcastle’s estimation if they defeat Forest on Wednesday. Since the Magpies have advanced to the final rounds of the Carabao Cup in each of the previous two seasons, Guehi’s participation in Palace would ultimately prevent him from playing in a crucial match for the team.
The agreement on personal conditions is still necessary for the transaction to go through, even if Palace accepts Newcastle’s bid for Guehi. The England player is reportedly amenable to moving to St. James’ Park and, for the first time in his career, permanently leaving London.
For the last several weeks of the summer transfer window, which ends on Friday, Guehi has been Newcastle’s top transfer target. United has presented Palace with multiple offers, one of which being a £65 million agreement with add-ons.
Any possible agreement would shatter the transfer records of Newcastle and Palace, respectively, for arrivals and departures. The current record deal for the Magpies is £63 million, which they paid Real Sociedad in 2022 for Alexander Isak.
Palace had previously planned a deal for Wolfsburg center-back Maxence Lacroix to provide some much-needed defensive reinforcements after losing Joachim Andersen to Fulham last week. This is especially important if Guehi departs the team this week.
