Marc Guehi closes in on Manchester City transfer, Barcelona miss out

Marc Guehi is predicted to finish a transfer to Manchester Metropolis after agreeing private phrases and lining up a medical forward of a £20m switch. The England worldwide is ready to affix Metropolis this month, with talks accelerating after accidents left Pep Guardiola in need of choices in central defence.

The 25-year-old had entered the ultimate stretch of his Crystal Palace contract and had been extensively seen as a summer time alternative, significantly – however not solely – in Spain. FC Barcelona, Actual Madrid, and Atlético de Madrid all adopted his scenario intently, conscious he might have been obtainable on a free switch as soon as the season ended.

Now, that chance is gone as Metropolis reached an settlement with Palace, successfully ending curiosity from Spain earlier than it developed into formal bids. Liverpool had additionally remained attentive after a failed try and signal Guehi final summer time however have been content material to attend, a stance Metropolis didn’t share.

Barcelona’s curiosity was extra superior earlier within the winter. The membership reportedly met with Guehi’s representatives and explored a pre-contract settlement, seeing him as a powerful match for Hansi Flick’s defensive construction. The transfer was finally dominated out due to wage calls for that exceeded the membership’s expectations, prompting the blaugrana to step again from negotiations.

As reported by Diario SPORT, that shift led to various proposals involving Axel Disasi and Nathan Aké, each of whom have been supplied as potential January reinforcements. Neither choice satisfied Barcelona’s sporting workers, significantly with Metropolis in search of obligatory buy clauses and the membership prioritizing long-term planning over short-term cowl.

With Andreas Christensen sidelined and Ronald Araújo dealing with an unsure future, Barcelona are anticipated to focus their assets on a left-footed centre-back in the summertime, with Nico Schlotterbeck, Murillo, and Marcos Senesi all into account in line with numerous stories.

At Palace, Guehi’s departure brings an finish to a central determine of the membership’s current rise. Since arriving from Swansea in 2020, the Chelsea academy graduate made 188 appearances and captained the aspect throughout their historic FA Cup win at Wembley, a ultimate that got here towards Manchester Metropolis.