'Simple as that': Steve Parish attempts to explain exactly why Marc Guehi's Liverpool move was blocked

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Marc Guehi’s move to Liverpool was all but agreed until Crystal Palace pulled out at the last minute.The Palace captain was ready to move to Merseyside for a fee of around £35 million, with the contract ready to be signed on deadline day, but his club decided against the deal.It would have completed and added to the £400 million transformation of Arne Slot’s Premier League-winning side, and looking at the problems in defence currently, it would have been much needed.While Guehi has not made the move, it seems that there is confidence, despite conflicting reports on the matter, that the 25-year-old will be making his way to Anfield.Some details about the move have been scarce, given that the player has not wanted to dwell on the situation while still playing for his club.Photo by Sebastian Frej/Getty ImagesSteve Parish blocked the Marc Guehi move because of the Europa Conference LeagueThe transfer of Guehi was talked about throughout the window, and clearly, there were many approaches from Liverpool during this time, but the only concrete agreement came at the last second.Now in an interview with talkSPORT today, Steve Parish, the Palace Chairman and Co-Owner, has spoken about the saga that led to the deal collapsing.READ MORE: Conflicting Marc Guehi update emerges after ‘nailed on’ move to Liverpool claimsWhen asked about whether they can keep three of their biggest stars, including Adam Wharton, Parish gave his answer on the reasons he blocked the deal, which included their qualification in the Europa Conference League.He explained: “It is a difficult decision, it is as simple as that, these things are never black and white, I decided in the end that, based on the advice that I got and with what I think that we would have a better season if we kept Marc.“We do not guess about these things. If you look at it rationally, the fact that we are in the European Conference League for the first time in our history, this is a fairly unusual set of circumstances to keep a player.“If we were fighting between the difference of 10th and 14th and if that was the difference between keeping Marc and letting Marc go, then probably we would have said ‘We should take the money’.”It was a frustrating turn of events, but from the perspective of the Eagles, it does make sense that they would want to keep such an integral part of their backline.Steve Parish suggests Marc Guehi leaving is highly likelyAs the England international’s contract is set to expire in the summer of 2026, it means that he will be able to leave on a free transfer to a club of his choosing.It complicates matters further for Liverpool as they will compete with European clubs who will be able to sign Guehi to a pre-agreement in January.From Parish’s comments, it does seem that they are already planning for life without their captain.In the interview, he continued: “We have got Jaydee (Canvot), who has come in and is going to develop as a player.

We hope we have Chadi (Riad) coming back from injury. So hopefully, we will be okay, and hopefully there is no big loss.🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🪄 Marc Guehi (25) has 4 goal contributions in his last 2 matches for England… • ⚽️🅰️ vs Serbia• 🅰️🅰️ vs WalesBrilliant from a central defender. 👏 pic.twitter.com/rJqEw0T3zw— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) October 9, 2025 View Tweet “In theory, we can get to a place where we do not need to buy one to replace Marc if we keep him all season.”This will be good news for fans who are anticipating his move from the South London club.While it may be tricky to navigate the other competitors for his signature, the allure of signing for Liverpool and the prior agreements should hopefully make the process go smoothly.