Crystal Palace have turned down a £35m offer from Liverpool for England defender Marc Guéhi, demanding a fee closer to £40m. The bid, submitted on Saturday, was immediately countered by Palace, who want an initial £35m plus £5m in bonuses and a 10% sell-on clause.
Guéhi has less than 12 months left on his contract and has refused to sign an extension. Palace chairman Steve Parish admitted after the Community Shield that the 25-year-old may need to be sold this month to avoid losing him for free next summer. Liverpool are Guéhi's preferred destination, but formal talks only began on Saturday.
Palace are willing to let Guéhi go if their valuation is met, despite manager Oliver Glasner stating on Friday that it is too late to sign a replacement before the transfer window closes on Monday. The club have been seeking defensive reinforcements and agreed a deal worth up to €27m (£23.4m) for Toulouse's Jaydee Canvot, a France Under-20s defender.
Palace have also explored moves for Manchester City's Manuel Akanji and Monaco's Mohammed Salisu, but have faced difficulties. Liverpool rejected an approach to include Joe Gomez on loan as part of the Guéhi deal. Glasner emphasised Guéhi's importance, saying finding a suitable replacement is 'almost impossible' at this stage.
