Real Madrid have re-entered the race for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi after his deal to Liverpool collapsed on deadline day.Â
Los Blancos registered their interest in Guehi before the summer transfer window opened.
Guehi sees his Crystal Palace contract expire on June 30, 2026. Palace must sell the Englishman in the winter transfer window to avoid losing him as a free agent next summer.
Marc Guehi to Liverpool Deal Collapses on Deadline Day
After a summer-long pursuit, Liverpool tabled their final offer for Marc Guehi on September 1, 2025, hoping to seal the deal before the 7:00 PM deadline. According to leading outlets, the Reds, who are 11/8 with UK betting sites to win the Premier League, offered to pay £35 million plus a 10% sell-on clause. Initially, Palace accepted the deal and allowed Guehi to go through the medical formalities. The Englishman was going to sign a five-year contract with Liverpool.
Palace, however, ultimately pulled the plug as they had not managed to find a replacement for their captain. Their top target, Igor Julio, moved to West Ham United. And while Toulouse centre-back Jaydee Canvot agreed to a four-year deal, Palace wanted another defensive addition before selling Guehi.
🚨 The way Marc Guehi and Eberechi Eze have acted this summer while their Crystal Palace futures have been up in the air should be an example to players who are looking to move clubs.
THIS IS HOW YOU ACT! THIS IS HOW YOU SHOW CLASS! THIS IS HOW YOU STAY PROFESSIONAL AND LOYAL! pic.twitter.com/xAvOkx4yTk
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) August 31, 2025
The decision must have pleased Palace manager Oliver Glasner, as he did not want to sell Guehi so late in the transfer window. But chairman Steve Parish was reportedly pushing for the move as he does not want to lose Guehi for free next summer.
Real Madrid Rekindle Interest in Guehi
With the summer transfer window in the history books, Crystal Palace have just one window left to make a profit off of Marc Guehi. But Palace can expect a much smaller fee for the player. It is also unlikely that they will sell him in the middle of the campaign, especially if they are in a promising position in the Premier League or any of the cup competitions.
Before Liverpool emerged as the frontrunners, Real Madrid were keeping tabs on Guehi. After the deal collapsed on deadline day, Los Blancos are back in the race for the 25-year-old.
Guehi will be free to negotiate a deal with foreign clubs from January, and Real Madrid plan to entice him with a lucrative deal. The All-Whites have had a lot of success with such deals in recent years, having signed Antonio Rudiger, David Alaba, and Kylian Mbappe as free agents.
The moral of the window, then: if you kick up enough of a fuss and sully your reputation at a club, you get what you want. If you do everything by the book with total respect for your club, you get screwed over. I feel for Marc Guehi tonight. Been denied a career-changing move.
— Lewis Steele (@LewisSteele_) September 1, 2025
They also bought Trent Alexander-Arnold for a negligible £8.5 million fee from Liverpool. Madrid could have signed Alexander-Arnold for free after June 30, but they paid the fee to expedite his arrival ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup.
Due to Alaba and Eder Militao’s poor fitness records, Antonio Rudiger and new signing Dean Huijsen are Real Madrid’s preferred centre-backs. With Rudiger on the wrong side of 30, Real Madrid are interested in signing a talented and proven centre-back to bolster their backline.
It will be interesting to see how things pan out when the winter transfer window opens in January.
