Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner says Marc Guehi has not asked to join Newcastle United and that the final decision is up to the defender.
Glasner hinted that Guehi — who has been the subject of four bids from Newcastle with the latest worth up to £65million — may decide not to leave even if the two clubs agree a deal, but insisted “we are fully prepared for every situation” to play out.
The 24-year-old has been a mainstay of Palace’s side since joining from Chelsea in July 2021 and has formed an excellent partnership at centre-back with Joachim Andersen.
His accomplished performances for England at Euro 2024 caught the eye as one of his country’s most important players in their run to the final.
Despite Newcastle’s interest, Glasner says Guehi has trained as usual and is available to feature in Palace’s Premier League season opener against Brentford on Sunday.
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“We have planned with Marc,” Glasner said. “He’s our player and our captain. As long as nobody tells me: ‘Gaffer, I will leave,’ or if the club tells me a player will leave, we work with them every day and prepare the team to be competitive for a Premier League game.”
Chairman Steve Parish said it would take “superstar money” to sell Guehi, suggesting that a deal could ultimately be reached for a player who has only two years left on the five-year contract he signed after joining from Chelsea.
The possibility of an offer being submitted which matches that definition is something Glasner is realistic about, but he suggested Guehi might prefer to stay at Palace.
Guehi has featured for Palace in pre-season (Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images)
“There will be an amount of money, like there is in sport, and then I have to agree and find a replacement. But that’s not the case at the moment. You know who is the most important one? Marc himself. Let’s say that Newcastle and Crystal Palace find an agreement, Marc could say: ‘I don’t care.’ I don’t care as well.
“It’s not something I think about all day. I stopped reading all the rumours because, if I do, I would be speaking with my sporting director (Dougie Freedman) and my chairman (Steve Parish) every day, asking is it true?, and on the other side, no comment. It’s the same with players who are written about coming to us — 80 per cent of them we have never spoken to.
“Marc trained with us today and we talked together. I focus on the Brentford game and the group we have here, on the things I can influence. If it happens I believe someone will tell me, and then we have to find a solution. Marc is the captain. Marc trained well.”
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(Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)
