Newcastle United could soon have all the encouragement they need to land last summer’s target, Marc Guehi, if Crystal Palace conclude their business.
It was no secret that the Magpies had identified Guehi as one of their top targets before the start of the 2024/25 season, but were unable to meet Palace’s £75-£80m asking price.
However, the Eagles now appear to be readier than ever to move on from the England international, which may lend itself to more open negotiations.
Newcastle United could get Marc Guehi at reduced price
The fact that the 24-year-old is about to enter the final 12 months of his contract, and as yet is not in advanced talks over a new one, will also play in Newcastle’s favour.
With Palace now also having a replacement lined up, the ground could not be better prepared for Guehi to make his way to St James’ Park.
The man Palace see fit to replace Guehi is Sporting CP defender Ousmane Diomande, with the interest first revealed by The Telegraph.
The story has since been followed up by local media, with Portuguese outlet A Bola also identifying Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Bayern Munich as interested parties – however, the newspaper has identified Palace as the only side to have made contact over a potential deal at this stage.
A figure of €60m is mooted for Diomande which, if accurate, will make Palace much keener to cash in on Guehi, much to the joy of Newcastle.
FourFourTwo understands, meanwhile, that Palace will not be in a position to price Newcastle out of the move like last term, given Guehi's contract situation.
This move could well make perfect sense for all parties involved, too: Newcastle land one of their top targets, Guehi gets his big move, while Palace cash in on a player they could lose for free in 12 months and get to reinvest those funds in another budding defensive talent.
The precise numbers will still, of course, need to be thrashed out over the coming days and weeks, but it feels like there’s enough motivation from all sides in this scenario to find common ground.
Diomande is valued at €45m, according to Transfermarkt.
