Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi’s representatives have reportedly met with Bayern Munich over a potential switch.
The 25-year-old Eagles captain was close to leaving the club in the summer to join Liverpool but chairman Steve Parish pulled the plug on a move at the eleventh hour.
Rumours of Guehi’s impending departure have been rife ever since, with Oliver Glasner confirming only this week that the England international has no intention of signing a new deal keeping him at the club beyond next summer.
The Palace star will therefore be free to negotiate himself a move away in January, with Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich understood to be at the front of the queue of sides vying for his signature.
Guehi’s agent met with representatives of the German giants this week to discuss a potential transfer, according to local journalist Florian Plettenberg.
Bayern are thought to be looking to recruit a centre-half and lose one of Dayot Upemecano and Kim Min-Jae, with Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck another target on their list.
But they’re likely to face stiff competition for Guehi’s signature from both Real Madrid and Liverpool. Arne Slot’s Reds could even look to sign the centre-back in January amid their recent defensive woes.
Speaking about his captain’s future earlier this week, Palace boss Glasner said: ‘The club wanted [him to stay]. They offered Marc a new contract. But he said, “no, I want to make something different”. And that’s normal.
‘And for us, it’s how we can deal with this situation? [What] is the best way to get this next step done? And that’s all about how we are talking together.’
The Eagles could also lose Glasner himself come the summer in what would be another blow for supporters after the sale of talisman Eberechi Eze to Arsenal.
The Austrian is out of contract at the end of the season and given his transformative impact on his side and the fact he is yet to extend his current deal, there will be a host clubs interested.
‘It’s all about being successful and I want to be as successful as possible with my team for Crystal Palace,’ said the manager, who recently oversaw a club-record 19-match unbeaten run. ‘This is what I will give every day.
‘It’s not about Oliver Glasner’s thoughts, it’s also the chairman, all the employees, the owners. It’s extending the stadium capacity. Building a new stand has been a project for years and it’s what the club wants. It’s important to get more revenue. The PSR rules are becoming stricter.
‘It started with building the academy and attracting other players to Crystal Palace. It’s not just one thing that we need to do to make the next step. If we want to make sustainable improvement as a club, we need to take the right steps in every department.
‘I still think our media department is too small for international football, four competitions.
‘The schedule is full. It’s not just me, it’s all the players, the organisation, the meeting rooms, we have to do our press conferences for the international games at the academy (because the facility at the first team training ground doesn’t meet UEFA’s requirements).’
Palace find themselves eighth in the Premier League after another strong start to the season.
They’re in Europa Conference League action this evening at Selhurst Park against Larnaca.
