Marc Guéhi opens up on how near he was to completing a move to Liverpool before the deal fell apart on deadline day.
Marc Guéhi has reflected on just how close he came to joining Liverpool in 2025 before the proposed move dramatically fell apart.
Nearly five months have passed since Liverpool reached an agreement worth £35m with Crystal Palace for the England defender, only for the deal to collapse in the final hours of deadline day when Palace ran out of time to secure a replacement. That late breakdown proved costly, as Manchester City moved quickly earlier this month to sign the 25-year-old for just £20m, with Liverpool opting not to reignite their interest amid concerns he no longer represented value in the market.
Guéhi was on the brink of completing his Liverpool medical
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Guéhi has now publicly addressed the failed transfer, revealing that he was moments away from completing his medical and had even undergone an MRI scan before Palace halted the move.
“It was very close. Very close,” Guéhi said. “The medical was basically done and then it was pulled at the last minute.”
The report also noted that England teammates John Stones and Phil Foden later played a role in persuading him to make the switch to Manchester City.
Liverpool continue to feel the fallout
While Liverpool must move on from what might have been, Guéhi’s comments have reopened old wounds for supporters—particularly in light of the club’s defensive struggles since last summer.
Just weeks after the deal collapsed, Giovanni Leoni suffered a serious ACL injury, leaving Arne Slot with only three senior centre-backs. Joe Gomez has since been sidelined again, while Ibrahima Konaté’s recent compassionate leave forced midfielder Wataru Endo into emergency defensive duty during the defeat at Bournemouth.
As Liverpool battled another injury crisis, Guéhi was impressing on his Manchester City debut, helping them to a clean-sheet win over Wolves.
Frustration over how the transfer unraveled is unlikely to fade quickly, but sporting director Richard Hughes must now focus forward. The clearest solution is securing an experienced, first-team centre-back for Slot before Liverpool’s defensive issues deepen further.
