Liverpool believed they were on the verge of signing their target.
On transfer deadline day, sporting director Richard Hughes reached an agreement to pay £35 million for Marc Guehi, the captain of Crystal Palace. The 25-year-old was reportedly partway through his medical examination at Anfield, with no issues expected regarding personal terms.
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With just one year remaining on his contract with the FA Cup holders, Guehi had put his club in a difficult position: either sell him now or risk losing him for nothing in 2026.
However, due to an inability to secure Igor Julio on loan from Brighton, Crystal Palace withdrew from the Guehi deal at the last moment.
While Liverpool remained optimistic about possibly signing Guehi for free, the loss of their clear path to the England international introduced a significant risk.
Liverpool’s Critical Error
Many top European clubs were ready to enter the bidding war for Guehi, who was poised to become one of the highest-earning free agents in history.
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Meanwhile, Manchester City has made the first move by agreeing to pay Crystal Palace an initial £20 million this January to address their center-back shortage.
Recently, Liverpool had maintained that they would not pay a fee to Palace for Guehi, suggesting that any payment would diminish the value of any deal this January.
They were prepared to wait for the opportunity to sign him on a free transfer, but this has turned out to be a significant miscalculation.
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Man City Set to Pay AT LEAST £105m for Guehi Deal
The financial details of the transfer are beginning to emerge, with Paul Joyce from the Times revealing how much it will cost City to finalize the Guehi transfer.
“City’s rumored wage offer of £300,000 per week, along with the initial £20 million payment, was a financial commitment that Liverpool was unwilling to match,” he notes.
“They had no plans to make a bid this month.”
The contract is said to extend for five-and-a-half years, meaning City could spend around £86 million solely on Guehi’s wages by the end of the deal. Coupled with the £20 million transfer fee, the total cost for this acquisition exceeds £105 million.
© IMAGO – Marc Guehi Liverpool
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Liverpool Needs to Address Their Center-Back Situation
Furthermore, the defender will be entitled to a substantial signing-on fee due to his departure on a Bosman next summer. Recent reports have indicated that City is willing to meet those demands as well.
If we estimate that fee to be around £10 million, it brings City’s total spending on Guehi to over £115 million when accounting for transfer fees, wages, and signing-on bonuses.
It’s clear why Liverpool had “no intention” of bidding for Guehi this January, according to Joyce.
Now, the Anfield club must identify new center-back options to eventually succeed Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk.