Marc Guehi edges closer to Man City transfer after 'big approach' to player's camp with Crystal Palace talks to follow

Guehi has been the subject of intense speculation regarding his future since the summer of 2025. At that stage, defending Premier League champions Liverpool were eager to put a big-money deal in place.

Palace spurned those advances despite being aware that their club captain was heading into the final 12 months of his deal at Selhurst Park. No fresh terms have been agreed, meaning that the 25-year-old centre-half will become a free agent at the end of the season.

It may be that he never reaches that point, with interest building again with another recruitment market open for business. Liverpool have continued to monitor Guehi’s situation, but City have moved to the front of the queue when it comes to discussions.

Having seen the likes of Ruben Dias, John Stones and Josko Gvardiol nurse injuries this season, Pep Guardiola is eager to reinforce the heart of his defence. Guehi would, given his age and experience, be a shrewd addition for the present and future.

City are stepping up their efforts to put an agreement in place with Palace and Guehi. Personal terms have been presented, with the next challenge being to settle on a fee with domestic rivals - with it being suggested that an offer of around £30 million ($40m) will be lodged.

Transfer guru Romano has posted on social media: “Manchester City advance on Marc Guehi deal as big approach has been made in the last 12h. Manchester City presented important proposal to Guehi in terms of contract, eventually ready to proceed also with Crystal Palace. Deal now closer with #MCFC.”

Looking for smarter football bets? Get expert previews, data-driven predictions & winning insights with GOAL Tips on Telegram. Join our growing community now!

Palace are, having won the FA Cup last season to end their long wait for major silverware and graced the Conference League this term, reluctant sellers when it comes to their talismanic skipper. They would prefer to keep him around until the summer.

Eagles boss Oliver Glasner has, however, reluctantly conceded that matters may be taken out of his hands. He has said of the mounting transfer talk: “I'm not naive. If a massive offer comes from City and Marc wants to do it, it will happen.”

He added, with European giants Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid having also been credited with interest in Guehi at various intervals - and he is free to speak with teams outside of England when it comes to pre-contract terms and potential free agency: “If you're just valuing sports, everyone in the club will say Marc has to stay. The chairman will tell you the same. But it's not one-dimensional. If you see the financial situation, it's very important.

“If somebody comes, there will be a moment when the club says 'now the financial issue is more important than the sports issue'. There will be a threshold where the club has to say it will happen - as long as Marc says 'I want to leave', because the final decision is always with the player.”

That mark was not hit in 2025, with Glasner going on to say: “The chairman rejected many offers in the summer because we want to play a successful season and wanted to win the Community Shield.

“Therefore, Marc is important, and then he rejected the offer. The threshold at that time, the money we got offered was not above it. Maybe it was close, but it was not above.”

Palace still have a figure in mind, which will be lower than the one six months ago as Guehi’s deal dwindles, and City are seemingly prepared to meet those demands. Agreeing a contract should be straightforward, with a fee all that is left to thrash out.

City remain busy across four competitions this season - the Premier League, Champions League, Carabao Cup and FA Cup - meaning that they will want to Guehi on board and bedded into their squad as quickly as possible.