Parish admits Palace likely to sell Guehi amid contract stand-off

Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has confirmed the club will consider selling captain Marc Guehi this summer rather than risk losing him for nothing when his contract expires, Sport360NG reports.

The England defender, who turned down a new deal, is now in the final year of his agreement at Selhurst Park. Palace rejected several approaches from Newcastle United in January, the highest understood to be around £65m, in the hope Guehi would commit his future. However, no extension has been agreed, and the 24-year-old is reportedly open to staying only until 2026, when he could depart on a free transfer.

Parish admitted the club cannot afford to let such a valuable player run down his contract.

“We’d have to [sell], of course. For players of that calibre to leave for free is a big problem for us,” he said. “Joachim [Andersen] went to Fulham last summer, and we couldn’t lose both. We’ll just have to see what happens, but it needs a new contract or some sort of conclusion.”

Liverpool are among the clubs monitoring the situation, but it is unclear whether Arne Slot’s side will meet Palace’s valuation of about £40m, with reports suggesting the Merseyside club are reluctant to pay that much. The Reds have already invested around £270m in new signings this summer, offset by roughly £170m in player sales.

Parish’s comments came after Palace’s Community Shield triumph over Liverpool, their second trophy under manager Oliver Glasner. Despite the victory, Glasner has voiced concern over the club’s lack of summer activity, with only goalkeeper Walter Benitez from PSV Eindhoven and defender Borna Sosa from Ajax added to the first-team squad.

“It’s difficult,” Parish acknowledged. “We have 15 or 16 outstanding players, and finding more of that quality is hard. Prices are high and, at the end of the day, we’re Crystal Palace. The money at every club is finite. We’ll do what we can to help, and we all want to keep improving.”