Crystal Palace eye Hull City star as Marc Guehi heads for Man City | OneFootball

Charlie Hughes has been a key figure for Hull City so far this season

Crystal Palace are weighing up a potential move for Hull City defender Charlie Hughes amid the departure of Marc Guehi to Manchester City.

According to Football Insider, the Eagles are keeping tabs on the centre-back ahead of the 2 February winter market deadline.

The sale of Guehi to Man City earlier this month has left the London outfit short at the back, which cause an outburst on Saturday evening from manager Oliver Glasner after the team’s 2-1 loss to Sunderland.

The Austrian coach has already confirmed that he is leaving Selhurst Park in the summer, but he is still seeking reinforcements to his squad before the winter market shuts.

Crystal Palace are competing in the Conference League, as well as the top flight, where they sit 13th in the table.

Former Man United scout Mick Brown has claimed that Crystal Palace are keeping tabs on Hughes, as they weigh up their options to replace Guehi, who was sold for a reported £20 million.

He believes that the Hull defender has been watched by the Eagles’ scouts, and that he’s fit the bill of what they’re looking for, but that they won’t be the only club interested in the 22-year-old.

“Charlie Hughes is somebody Palace are looking at,” Brown told Football Insider.

“They’ve had scouts going to watch him and they’ve done their due diligence, he’s certainly been on their radar and he’s somebody they like.

“He’s still only young but he’s playing well in the Championship and would fit the bill. It would be a good next step in his career after establishing himself at Hull.

“They’re not the only club looking at him though, others are interested too.

“The debate then is whether they go and get a ready-made replacement, because Guehi is going to be a big miss for them. That’s what the manager will want.

“Somebody who can immediately step in and make an impact, rather than somebody who can come in but will take a while to get to that level.

“That would fit in more with what Palace have done in the past, bringing in a young player and developing them, but they’re in a difficult position.”

Hughes signed for Hull in the 2024 summer transfer window, arriving from Wigan Athletic after their 12th place finish in League One.

The centre-back has so far made 51 appearances in the Championship, with the Tigers in the mix for promotion to the Premier League this season.

Sergej Jakirovic’s side are fifth in the table after 26 games played, five points adrift of second place Middlesbrough but with a fixture in hand.

Next up for Hull is a trip to face Preston North End on Tuesday evening in a 7.45pm kick-off.

Charlie Hughes sale would have to be at a big cost this January

Palace are in a tough position, and their negotiating power has been weakened by Glasner’s outburst, as everyone will know they’re desperate for signings.

Hull are also in a promotion battle, and upsetting the apple cart by selling a key player could risk their chances of keeping that up in the second half of the campaign.

So it should have to take a big offer from Palace to convince Hull to cash in this month, especially as he has a contract until the summer of 2028.

The Tigers have a strong negotiating position, and they should use that in their favour to try and keep Hughes until the end of the season, or to earn a potentially very big fee for his departure.