Crystal Palace Asked for Joe Gomez Before Withdrawing from Marc Guehi Move, Report Says
Palace reportedly demanded a left-sided centre-back replacement — naming Liverpool’s Joe Gomez or a £50 million fee — before cancelling Guehi’s transfer late in the window.
Crystal Palace asked Liverpool to include Joe Gomez in discussions over Marc Guehi’s proposed transfer and withdrew from the deal when a replacement did not arrive, the Daily Mail reported Saturday.
The move for Guehi had reached an advanced stage, with a fee agreed, the defender undergoing a medical and a five-year contract prepared, the report said. A farewell message from Guehi to Palace supporters was recorded before the transfer collapsed in the final hours of the summer window.
Palace had sought a left-sided centre-back to arrive before sanctioning Guehi’s departure, believing a replacement was in place when talks with Liverpool advanced, the report added. Brighton defender Igor Julio had been identified as a loan target and was reportedly lined up to join Palace, but he subsequently completed a move to West Ham, leaving Palace without the incoming player they had anticipated.
The Sun reported earlier this summer that Palace had asked Liverpool to include Joe Gomez as part of any agreement or to pay £50 million in cash for Guehi. Both newspapers framed the requests as a condition for allowing the England international to leave.
Liverpool had been strongly linked with Guehi after the Merseyside club agreed terms with Palace, according to reporting. Sources cited by the Daily Mail said the transfer process progressed to the point of medical examinations and contract paperwork before Palace withdrew their approval when the replacement option fell through.
Guehi, a product of Crystal Palace’s academy and a regular in England squads, had been expected to strengthen Liverpool’s defence after the club’s summer recruitment. With the proposed replacement failing to materialise, Palace moved to retain the 25-year-old, blocking the transfer at the eleventh hour of the window.
The episode highlights the common requirement among clubs to secure a like-for-like addition before permitting the sale of a key defender, and the fragility of late-window negotiations when multiple transfers are interdependent. Clubs often condition departures on incoming deals being completed to protect squad balance, and targets signed by rival teams in the closing hours can derail agreed moves.
Neither club issued an immediate comment in the reports cited. Liverpool and Palace have made multiple moves in the current window as managers sought to reshape squads following last season’s campaigns. The collapse of the Guehi transfer leaves Palace with its established centre-back options intact and Liverpool needing to reassess defensive targets for the remainder of the transfer period and beyond.
Further developments could yet follow if clubs reopen negotiations in future windows, but for now Guehi remains at Palace after a late breakdown in a deal that had appeared close to completion, according to the reporting.