Marc Guehi Joins Man City: £20m Deal, £300k Wages, and Why Liverpool Backed Out

Manchester City have secured the signing of Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi for an initial fee of around £20 million plus add-ons and a sell-on clause, a bargain compared to the £35 million Liverpool were poised to pay last summer before the deal collapsed on deadline day.[1][2][4]

The 25-year-old England international, who established himself as one of the Premier League's top centre-backs during his five-year stint at Selhurst Park, left Palace on Monday to join Pep Guardiola's title-chasing side.[1] Guehi's contract was set to expire at season's end, allowing City to negotiate a "relatively modest" transfer fee while offering him a lucrative five-and-a-half-year deal until 2031 with £300,000 per week in wages, per reports from The Sun and Capology.[1][3]

This salary positions Guehi joint-sixth on the Premier League's highest-paid players list, alongside Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes and City's Bernardo Silva. Only teammate Erling Haaland (£525,000/week) earns more at City, while Omar Marmoush (£295,000), Kai Havertz (£280,000), Alexander Isak (£280,000), and Gabriel Jesus (£265,000) follow.[1][5] The hefty wage packet may explain Liverpool's hesitation last summer, as highlighted in transfer analyses.[4]

City's boss Pep Guardiola remained tight-lipped ahead of the Manchester derby, while Palace manager Oliver Glasner confirmed the deal was in final stages, ruling Guehi out of their next match.[2] This marks City's second January signing after Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth, bolstering their defense amid injuries and adding long-term strength.[2]

Guehi's arrival underscores City's aggressive spending—£1.75 billion since 2016/17 and 15 signings in the past year—positioning them as frontrunners in the transfer market.[2]

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