Why Marc Guehi transfer to Liverpool collapsed on Deadline Day

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·3 September 2025

Why Marc Guehi transfer to Liverpool collapsed on Deadline Day

Marc Guehi was poised to join Liverpool on Transfer Deadline Day, but the move fell through at the last minute.

With just one year remaining on the centre-back’s contract, Crystal Palace agreed to sell him to the Reds for £35 million rather than potentially lose him for free next summer.

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Although it would have meant not extracting full value from one of their key players, it was better than nothing.

Eagles manager Oliver Glasner, understandably, did not want to lose Guehi. But if they were going to sell his captain then he insisted on the club signing two new defenders, otherwise he would walk out.

Palace left it until very late in the window to try and make the move happen. They bought French teenager Jaydee Canvot from Toulouse for around £23m and they were working on other targets.

Meanwhile, Guehi went about completing the formalities of his move to Liverpool, including a medical, after an agreement had been reached between the two clubs on Monday afternoon. A farewell video was even produced and leaked online.

At this stage the transfer should have been a formality, but multiple reports have revealed why it broke it down.

Read – The Premier League deals that collapsed on Transfer Deadline Day

Why Marc Guehi transfer to Liverpool collapsed on Deadline Day

Palace were looking at a number of targets, including Manchester City centre-back Manuel Akanji, but the Swiss joined Inter Milan on loan instead. It then emerged they were trying to sign Igor Julio on loan from Brighton.

Igor was in talks with the south London outfit about a move, but then West Ham United entered the scene. The Brazilian chose to join the Hammers, dealing a huge blow to Palace and by extension Liverpool.

There was still hope that Guehi could get his move to Anfield; a deal sheet was submitted in the event it could be sorted late in the day.

In the end, however, Palace chairman Steve Parish had to explain to Guehi why he could not sanction the transfer despite giving it the go-ahead hours earlier. Bizarrely, BBC Sport claim that Parish did not sit down with the player and his representatives until after 6pm following a fitness class at a gym in Soho.

It is just one detail in this story that exposes the Palace hierarchy’s incompetence. Parish had indicated after the Community Shield win over Liverpool three weeks ago that they were open to selling. And yet they failed to capture any replacements in that time or agree a deal with Liverpool until the final day of the window.

The move could be revived for a smaller figure in January, but their recruitment plans will be hampered regardless after missing out on that £35m fee. The one positive for Palace is that Guehi will be available for their UEFA Conference League campaign, the club’s first foray into Europe.

But Glasner will have to gently manage the situation going forward, with the Guardian claiming Guehi is “extremely unhappy” with Palace for denying him a move, while The Times reports that there is no chance of him signing a new deal with the club.

Read – Every Premier League team to break their transfer record this summer