The monster Liverpool and Crystal Palace transfer swap deal that could crush Tottenham’s summer dreams
Marc Guehi is expected to leave Crystal Palace this summer
The Athletic’s David Ornstein has claimed that Crystal Palace are ‘looking to cash in’ on club captain Marc Guehi this summer, as the prepare to accept the inevitability of his departure.
It’s a claim which will undoubtedly put many of the top clubs in the Premier League on red alert given Guehi’s status in the game as arguably England’s most talented central defender at this moment in time. Guehi started out at Chelsea but only played two competitive matches - the first coming in a 7-1 victory over Grimsby Town in the League Cup back in October 2020 and the second and final appearance coming just weeks later in a 2-1 loss to Manchester United.
He spent the next 18 months on loan at Swansea City, establishing himself as a fine Championship defender under Graham Potter, but it’s his time at Crystal Palace where most football fans have become most familiar with him.
Guehi cost Crystal Palace around £18m when he joined in 2021, a figure at the time which made him the club’s third most expensive player. He had high expectations when he arrived but it’s fair to say that he’s more than surpassed those over the course of four seasons, arguably quadrupling his value while captaining the Eagles to their first ever piece of silverware.
Why is Marc Guehi likely to leave Crystal Palace this summer?
Over the course of 12 months, Crystal Palace have done everything in their power to try and keep Guehi at Selhurst Park. They were reported last summer to have turned down as many as three different offers from Premier League rivals Newcastle United to keep the player in South London while in January it was even reported that Tottenham had a bid in the region of £70m also turned down
However, the club’s hierarchy have been unable to tie their skipper down to a new deal, and it appears likely that now is the time for the club to cash in on the defender as opposed to losing him on a free in just 12 months time. Newcastle and Tottenham after qualifying for the Champions League are naturally expected to revisit a potential Guehi deal this summer, but at this stage it’s thought that the champions of England, Liverpool, are the favourites to get a deal done.
The Reds have spent nearly £300m on new recruits but are keen to sign a long-term successor to Virgil van Dijk that can learn off the Dutchman while he’s still on the books at Anfield. It’s a move which would further cement Liverpool’s status as the top dogs in English football while also boosting their prospects of becoming the dominant force on the European stage.
The exciting Liverpool and Crystal Palace swap deal that could take place
Liverpool have been the biggest spenders in European football this summer and while it’s fair to say they have plenty of credit in the bank in terms of PSR standpoint from previous transfer windows, after spending nearly £300m on new recruits it could be difficult for the club to carry on this pattern of spending for too much longer. With that in mind, Liverpool could look to offer Crystal Palace one of England’s most talented young prospects that they simply can’t find room for in their starting lineup at this time.
Harvey Elliott has been on the books at Liverpool for six years now, and at 22-years of age, is approaching a time in his career where he simply needs to be playing regular football if he’s to make the jump into the England senior side.
Elliott has made 147 appearances for the Reds, experiencing Champions League nights, a Premier League title triumph, League Cup final wins and even a productive loan spell at Blackburn Rovers in the middle of that. However, he’s never been a first team regular, and while he was used fairly regularly under Jurgen Klopp, has rarely got into the starting line-up under Arne Slot, making just two league starts.
Elliott has just enjoyed a sensational Under-21 tournament for England, winning the European Championship and the Player of the Tournament award while chipping in with five goals in six appearances.But his chances of playing regularly for Liverpool have realistically only depleted over the summer, with Premier League-record signing Florian Wirtz only adding to the list of players ahead of Elliott in the pecking order.
The youngster has been linked with the likes of Fulham, Wolves and Brighton throughout the summer, but none of these teams could offer the star European football, which is something Oliver Glasner’s side can do with a Europa Conference campaign on the horizon.
Therefore it could make sense for Liverpool to offer a cut-price fee to try and sign Guehi in the final year of his contract, while using an out-of-favour Elliott as a sweetener in negotiations. It’s a move which could potentially suit both clubs in many ways, but certainly wouldn’t go down well with Tottenham and Newcastle, who remain interested in Guehi.