Transfer Centre

Manchester United 'keeping tabs on Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi'

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 14 October 2023

Manchester United are reportedly weighing up a move for Marc Guehi in 2024, but Crystal Palace will demand a club-record fee to sell the 23-year-old defender.

Manchester United are weighing up an approach for Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi in the summer of 2024, according to a report.

The former Chelsea youngster has been a reliable presence in the Eagles backline alongside Joachim Andersen since joining Roy Hodgson's side in a £20.2m deal two years ago.

Guehi has netted five goals and provided one assist in 91 matches for Palace across all competitions, and he has helped the Eagles keep four clean sheets from seven Premier League outings so far this term.

Prior to the October international break, Palace registered three consecutive shut-outs against Fulham, Manchester United and Nottingham Forest, with Guehi playing the full 90 in all of those outings.

The 23-year-old's exploits have not gone unnoticed by England manager Gareth Southgate, and Guehi has earned six caps for his country since making his debut in March 2022, playing in both of September's games with Ukraine and Scotland.

England's Marc Guehi and Reece James during training on March 21, 2023 © Reuters

Guehi was heavily linked with a move away from Selhurst Park during the most recent summer window, where North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur were both said to have been keeping an eye on him.

However, with Guehi under contract at Palace until 2026, the Eagles apparently demanded a hefty £60m to let the centre-back leave, seeing Arsenal and Spurs drop their interest and opt to sign Jurrien Timber and Micky van de Ven respectively.

The Eagles' resolve could be tested again next year, though, as the South London Press claims that Man United have now entered the race to sign him and may make their move once the season concludes.

The Red Devils have been working around a selection crisis at the back in the early stages of the campaign due to injuries, which have claimed Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez and makeshift centre-back Luke Shaw.

Erik ten Hag still has Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire and the returning Jonny Evans available to him, but the latter is only under contract until the end of the season, and it is unclear whether an extension will be sanctioned.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag pictured on September 26, 2023 © Reuters

Meanwhile, Maguire - who has gone from captain and regular starter to a weekly bench-warmer since Ten Hag arrived - has suggested that he will have to consider an exit from Old Trafford next year if his playing situation does not improve, having seen a possible switch to West Ham United collapse this summer.

As such, defensive reinforcements are likely to be high on Ten Hag's agenda for the 2024 summer window, but Palace will still demand a club-record fee to let Guehi depart next year.

The Eagles' current record departure was the £50m sale of Aaron Wan-Bissaka to Man United in 2019, and the report adds that Guehi's old employers Chelsea also possess the right to match any bid that comes in for their former academy member.

Palace would not be expected to entertain offers in January either, but a separate report has claimed that Man United want to bring in a new centre-back midway through the season, having kept just three clean sheets in their first 11 games of the new term in all tournaments.

Sporting Lisbon's Goncalo Inacio, Atalanta BC's Giorgio Scalvini and Benfica's Antonio Silva are also believed to be of interest to the 20-time English champions, although the latter is alleged to prefer a move to Real Madrid.