Tottenham Hotspur linked Marc Guehi has emerged as a target for Manchester City
It has been a trying first few months in the Tottenham Hotspur hotseat for Thomas Frank. While everything would appear rosy on the pitch, notably defeating Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium last weekend, it has not been plain sailing off it.
Thomas Frank has witnessed the departure of club icon Son Heung-min to MLS club Los Angeles FC. He has lost James Maddison to a serious knee injury, whilst missing out on transfer targets such as Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze. Arsenal hijacking the Eze deal at the 11th hour last midweek was a gut punch, but the Lilywhites responded ardently on the pitch by beating Man City 2-0. Yet, the north Londoners’ chances of achieving consistency to their displays and results across the season will depend on their transfer business in the final week of the transfer window.
Tottenham have been interested in signing Crystal Palace skipper Marc Guehi but face strong competition from Liverpool. The Reds’ chiefs have been in talks with Crystal Palace over a potential move for their star defender. They are prepared to pay a maximum of £35m for the England international, although the Eagles are holding out for £45m.
This has led to no movement and the 25-year-old has started both of Crystal Palace’s Premier League games thus far.
Manchester City could enter transfer race for Crystal Palace captain
Now, there could be another entrant in the race to sign the Palace star. According to a report from The Daily Star, Manchester City could enter the mix for Marc Guehi if they sell centre-back duo Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake, who’ve been linked with Galatasaray and Everton respectively. The defender has been discussed by the top officials at the Etihad Stadium as a potential option to bolster the defence if both Ake and Akanji depart.
If battling Liverpool for Guehi was an uphill task, Manchester City showing interest in the player would not have been received well in the Tottenham offices. This means another ‘Big Six’ club eyeing a move for the north London club’s top defensive target.
While first-choice centre-back pairing Cristian Romero and Micky Van de Ven have started the new campaign strongly and kept clean sheets in two games, the duo cannot be relied upon due to their patchy injury record. Kevin Danso, their back-up, is yet to prove himself in a Tottenham shirt, which means there is room in the squad to bring in a reliable, hardy defender to keep Romero and Van de Ven on their toes. And Guehi, in that regard, fits the criteria perfectly.
However, Liverpool currently lead the race for the ex-Chelsea man. The English champions remain in a stronger position that Spurs and Man City to wrap up the Guehi deal before the transfer deadline, although they are yet to come to the table with a concrete offer. As City would only act if both Ake and Akanji leave, it gives Tottenham a great opportunity to put of their own bid in the coming days and try tempting Guehi to N17.
