Marc Guehi’s proposed £35m move to Liverpool has stalled despite the England international undergoing a medical in London.
Crystal Palace remain unwilling to sanction the transfer until a replacement is secured, but their pursuit of Brighton defender Igor Julio has collapsed after West Ham United hijacked the deal. The Hammers are set to sign Julio as a replacement for Nayef Aguerd, who is leaving for Marseille.
Liverpool had expected to finalise a five-year contract for the 25-year-old defender before the transfer deadline, with Guehi making it clear he would not sign a new deal at Selhurst Park. Palace chairman Steve Parish had been seeking a resolution this summer to avoid losing him on a free transfer in the future.
The situation has sparked tension within the club. Palace manager Oliver Glasner, speaking after Sunday’s 3-0 win over Aston Villa in which Guehi scored, warned the board against selling without cover.
“I told the chairman we have to keep Marc if we want to play a successful season,” Glasner said. “We have no chance to find the right replacement in one day. We all agreed that we just sell Marc if we have the right replacement in the building. We wanted a replacement by 1 July. It is 31 August and we have no replacement.”
The collapse of Palace’s replacement plan has left Guehi’s transfer in serious doubt just hours before the window closes.
For Liverpool, who have already secured record signings in Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, the failure to land their top defensive target would mark a major setback in their summer rebuild.