Crystal Palace are “expecting bids” for Manchester City and Arsenal target Marc Guehi, according to The Sun.
The English tabloid claims that the Eagles are so sure that the former Chelsea player will leave Selhurst Park this summer that they have already begun talks with a potential replacement.
Oliver Glasner’s side are reportedly locked in negotiations with Real Betis about signing Chadi Riad for £10m and, if the Moroccan does make the switch, it could hasten the departure of Guehi.
The centre-back has been tipped for a transfer away from Palace for quite some time but links with a move to City haven’t been particularly strong up until now.
How much would Guehi cost?
An asking price of around £55m has been mentioned in the English press, which is not an unreasonable amount for a 23-year-old player with two years left on his contract.
Guehi is also a homegrown talent, and he has been included in England’s provisional squad for the European Championships next month.
Do City need to sign another centre-half?
On the face of it, manager Pep Guardiola has plenty of choice in the middle of defence. The City boss can call upon the likes of Ruben Dias, John Stones, Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake and Josko Gvardiol when required.
However, both Ake and Gvardiol have been deployed regularly on the left-hand side over the past twelve months and, if the Premier League champions decide against recruiting a conventional left-back, it stands to reason that they would look to reinforce their centre-back options instead.
It remains to be seen whether that means they will firm up their interest in Guehi over the coming days and weeks but it appears Palace are already paving the way for his departure from the club.
