- Palace captain Guehi is contracted to his current club until end of next season
- He has been the subject of major interest from a number of Premier League sides
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Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi could run down his contract at the club in a bid to move to one of two foreign giants, according to a report.
The defender has become one of the most reliable players in his position in the Premier League in recent years, kicking onto another level since he joined the south London club from Chelsea in 2021.
He cost Palace just £18million then, and his current deal runs until the end of next season. The club do, therefore, risk losing him for free if he doesn’t move on this summer or in January.
The 24-year-old has been actively pursued by Newcastle in the last few months, with Palace rejecting a bid worth £75m for his services last summer. It remains possible that they will look to sign him again this year, though potentially at a reduced fee.
According to The Sun, though, Guehi could spend another year with Palace before departing for free next summer – with a move to either Real Madrid or Barcelona potentially on the cards.
And there’s one key reason why the England defender is an attractive proposition to the Spanish giants – because of his Ivorian passport.
Marc Guehi is ready to run down his Crystal Palace contract to join one of two European giants, according to a report
The Palace captain has one year left on his current deal and leave for free next summer
Both Real Madrid and Barcelona are said to have been monitoring his recent progress in the Premier League
LaLiga sides as restricted to having just three non-EU players in their squads, with Jude Bellingham applying for an Irish passport on the back of his move to Real Madrid in 2023.
After Brexit, British players count as non-EU, making it harder for them to move to Spain. Guehi, though, was born in Ivory Coast and recently renewed his passport with the country.
Players of an African nationality are effectively classed as Spanish nationals due to the Cotonou Agreement, which is between the EU, Organisation of Africa, Caribbean and Pacific States.
It means Guehi would not take up a non-EU spot in either side’s squad, making a transfer much easier to complete. It would be a blow to the likes of Newcastle, while Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham have also monitored his progress in recent times.
For now, though, the defender’s focus is on the FA Cup final, where he could captain Palace to glory in the competition for the first time ever.
His side will take on Manchester City at Wembley on Saturday afternoon, with Guehi to lead his side out on the back of their comfortable victory over Tottenham last weekend.
Guehi said of his future ahead of the final: ‘I’m still on a contract, so my focus is always at this football club.
‘The most important thing is just doing the best I can and seeing where the future holds. As far as I’m concerned, I’m a Palace player.’
Guehi is a fully-fledged England international but recently renewed his Ivorian passport
Newcastle has a number of bids rejected for his services last summer, with one worth £75m
Guehi’s former side Chelsea are also interested in signing him, despite selling the star for £18m just three years ago
Hi manager, Oliver Glasner, added: ‘It’s the wrong time to think about your future. It’s the same reason I didn’t talk to any single player as it’s not the time to talk about it.
‘And if you start to talk about it, you get distracted, and this is what we can’t allow.
‘We need 100 per focus, 100 per cent energy, 100 per cent togetherness to win this title, otherwise it’s not possible.’
