Palace must keep Marc Guehi, Glasner says, as transfer deadline looms

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner told club chiefs the club must hold on to captain Marc Guehi if they are to have a successful season, amid renewed interest from Liverpool and with the transfer window about to close.

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has made clear he wants the club to retain captain Marc Guehi as the Premier League side heads into a congested early-season schedule and a European qualifying campaign. Glasner told BBC Sport he had informed Palace chairman that the club would only consider selling Guehi if an appropriate replacement was already at the club, and stressed there was no realistic way to recruit a like-for-like successor on the eve of the transfer deadline.

Guehi, 25, scored as Palace beat Aston Villa 3-0 on Sunday evening, a victory that came three days after the club secured qualification for the Europa Conference League. The England international — who joined Palace from Chelsea in 2021 — has one year remaining on his current contract and has been the subject of renewed transfer interest from Liverpool, who tabled an improved bid reportedly worth £35 million that includes a 10% sell-on clause.

Glasner emphasised the practical difficulties of replacing a player of Guehi's profile so late in the window. "I told the chairman we have to keep Marc if we want to play a successful season," Glasner said. "We have no chance to find the right replacement in one day. We all agreed that we just sell Marc if we have the right replacement in the building."

The manager said Palace had set an earlier internal deadline for recruitment. "We wanted a replacement by 1 July. It is 31 August and we have no replacement. We have this agreement so it is clear from me," Glasner added. "He is such a crucial player. He is one of our key players — he is our captain."

The Premier League summer transfer window closes at 19:00 BST on Monday, leaving Palace just hours to respond to Liverpool's latest proposal or to negotiate other options. Palace have not announced any decision on Guehi's future, and there was no immediate confirmation from Liverpool or either club beyond the reports of an improved bid that contained the sell-on provision.

Guehi's growth into a leading figure at Selhurst Park has been rapid since his move from Chelsea in 2021. The central defender has been a regular in Palace's back line and has carried the armband for the team, a role Glasner and others have pointed to when discussing the balance between short-term financial returns and on-field stability. With the club now preparing for domestic and European fixtures, Glasner framed Guehi as integral to Palace's immediate competitive ambitions.

The timing of Palace's Europa Conference League involvement was underlined by Sunday’s league win, which arrived days after the club advanced through qualifying rounds for European competition. That additional fixture load typically heightens the need for squad depth, particularly in central defence where injuries or suspensions can force reliance on less experienced options.

Glasner's public stance reflects a broader tension clubs face in transfer windows when key players enter the final year of their contracts: balancing the potential fee from a sale against the cost and feasibility of replacing the player and the effect on the squad’s cohesion. Palace have been active in recent windows attempting to manage such transitions, but Glasner stressed the club did not have a ready-made replacement waiting to step into Guehi's role.

The reported structure of Liverpool’s bid — a fee of £35 million with a 10% sell-on clause — indicates a compromise between immediate cash and future upside, a mechanism selling clubs sometimes accept when reluctant to part with a player for a potentially lower initial amount. Palace will now weigh that figure and clause against their sporting priorities, Glasner’s public insistence on retaining his captain and the practical limits of late-window recruitment.

Any decision will be resolved before the window shuts at 19:00 BST on Monday, after which teams may no longer register new players for domestic competitions until the next transfer period. If Palace decide to keep Guehi, he will remain central to their plans across the Premier League and Europe. If they opt to sell, the club will need to identify and integrate a successor quickly to preserve the defensive consistency Glasner has said is essential for a successful season.

Palace’s handling of the situation will be watched closely by supporters and rivals alike in the remaining hours of the transfer window, with Guehi’s status likely to shape Crystal Palace’s early-season fortunes and their capacity to compete on multiple fronts.