Marc Guehi to Newcastle - Transfer stance and state of play after £60m bid last summer

Crystal Palace and Newcastle United were locked in talks over the closing stages of the last summer window as we attempted to sign Marc Guehi over the entire month of August 2024.

Eddie Howe is a long-term admirer of the 24-year-old and, with Toon set for significant investment into the first team squad this summer and a right-sided defender one of four key priorities for sporting director Paul Mitchell, many have wondered if we'll revisit a deal this summer.

We come into any potential negotiations from a strengthened standpoint from the summer of 2024. From the perspective of PSR, we find ourselves in a much more powerful position to spend than we did - and there is news on the Guehi side of things that plays into our hands also.

Marc Guehi: One to watch?

After a number of bids last summer, Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi may be one to watch this summer considering he is yet to sign a new deal and Newcastle are still without that new, right-footed centre-back Eddie Howe craves.

Palace wanted in the region of £80m for the 24-year-old last summer, however, with the England international being available to negotiate a free transfer exit in January 2026, the Croydon Club may cash in for a lower asking fee this summer now he's yet to sign a new deal.

It seems Newcastle's interest has also gone nowhere, as Chris Waugh reveals in his latest piece for The Athletic.

He wrote: 'Newcastle remain convinced that Guehi would be an ideal addition and would strengthen their first XI and they have continued to monitor him closely.

'Part of the reason why they would have spent big on him last summer — if not at the £60million-plus ($80.3m) price that was mooted, then potentially at £50m-plus — and risked having to make further sales is because several senior figures felt he was a long-term solution to their right-sided centre-back position.

'That viewpoint has not changed, at least for some influential voices internally, and so Guehi continues to feature heavily in the club’s thinking. But much will depend on competition — Newcastle are unlikely to want to enter a bidding war — and Crystal Palace’s stance, because any offers will be lower than last summer, given Guehi is going to be down to the final year of his contract.'

This also comes after Fabrizio Romano confirmed our ongoing interest recently, stating that Newcastle, Chelsea and Spurs are all keen on the England international.

Other targets on Toon radar

The Athletic insist that despite serious interest in Guehi, Newcastle are keeping their options open with several names from overseas thought to be of interest.

Overseas options such as Sporting Lisbon's Ousmane Diomande, AC Milan's Malick Thiaw, Bayern's Kim Min-Jae and Benfica's Antonio Silva are amongst the players who have been linked.

It remains to be seen if we target a domestic option or go abroad, with no guarantee we go back for Guehi and Bournemouth's Dean Huijsen looking tough to sign given the £50m release clause and level of interest. 

Waugh continued in his piece for The Athletic: 'Other defenders have been watched in the Premier League and across Europe, with exhaustive due diligence performed, and Huijsen is just one considered.

'With Newcastle’s centre-backs aged 30 or over, Sven Botman (25) aside, their age profile requires lowering and future-proofing.

'For now, although recruitment long lists are being whittled down, specific targets for each position are not yet fully determined and are unlikely to be until Newcastle discover whether they will be playing Champions League football. Guehi is still of keen interest, but an attempt to revive a deal is not necessarily inevitable.'