Liverpool's attempt to sign Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi on transfer deadline day has unexpectedly fallen through. Despite an agreed deal and the player undergoing a medical, the move was cancelled due to complications at Crystal Palace.
The Merseyside club had agreed to buy 25-year-old Guehi for a fee of £35 million, with an additional 10 percent sell-on clause. The defender was given permission to complete his move formalities and had started undergoing a medical in London on Monday. He was set to sign what would have been a five-year contract with the Premier League champions. However, sources confirmed to BBC Sport that the deal is now off.
Crystal Palace's dilemma
Crystal Palace were reluctant to sanction the transfer as they faced difficulties in securing a replacement for Guehi. Their target, Igor Julio, opted for West Ham instead of joining them.
Despite these challenges, they managed two signings on deadline day: Toulouse centre-back Jaydee Canvot joined on a four-year deal while Christantus Uche arrived on a season-long loan from Getafe.
Palace wanted two defensive replacements before allowing Guehi's exit which ultimately led to the collapse of Liverpool’s bid.
Busy deadline day for Liverpool
It was indeed an eventful deadline day for Liverpool who also agreed upon another British record £125m deal with Newcastle for striker Alexander Isak. Guehi had been identified as key target by Liverpool this summer after Jarrell Quansah left Anfield for Bayer Leverkusen. This interest came amidst concerns about their defence solidity that conceded six goals in their first three games of this season.
Liverpool lost the Community Shield on penalties against Crystal Palace - captained by none other than Marc Guehi himself - and gave up two-goal leads in Premier League matches against Bournemouth and Newcastle before managing to win.
Despite the speculation about his future, Guehi will now return to Crystal Palace where he has played a crucial role in the start of the club's season. He has played 90 minutes in all six of Palace's games across three competitions including the Community Shield win, and the Conference League as Eagles returned to Europe.
