Man City set to reach agreement to sign Marc Guehi, total spend hits nearly £500m in 12 months

According to renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano, Guéhi has officially agreed to join Manchester City this January. This decision comes after the defender repeatedly rejected contract extension offers from Crystal Palace. 

To secure his signature immediately, "The Citizens" have agreed to pay a £20 million fee to buy out the remaining 6 months of his current deal. The 25-year-old center-back is expected to arrive at the Etihad Stadium within the next 24 hours to undergo a medical examination before signing a long-term contract that will keep him at the club until the summer of 2031.

Shortly after these reports emerged, Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner confirmed the imminent departure during his press conference ahead of the match against Sunderland. Glasner announced that the club captain would not feature in the trip to the Stadium of Light because the transfer process is nearly complete.

"My latest understanding is that a deal with Marc is in the final stages. I can't confirm a club because it's still not done, but it's in the final stages. The result is that Marc doesn't play tomorrow for us”, Glasner said. 

Consequently, Guéhi’s final appearance for the South London club was the 1-2 defeat against Macclesfield in the FA Cup third round.

Once the move is finalized, Guéhi will become Man City’s second signing of the winter transfer window. He follows the high-profile arrival of Antoine Semenyo, who joined from Bournemouth earlier this month in a deal worth £65 million. 

Man City reportedly intensified their pursuit of Guéhi at the start of January to address a severe defensive crisis. With key center-backs John Stones, Rúben Dias, and Josko Gvardiol all sidelined by injuries, the former Chelsea youngster is viewed as an essential reinforcement to stabilize Pep Guardiola's backline.

Notably, the arrival of Guéhi helps Manchester City complete a full starting lineup of 11 new signings since January last year, officially reaching a total spending milestone of nearly £500 million, according to statistics from ESPN.

British media outlets have confirmed that Man City successfully beat several European giants to secure the defender. Clubs such as Bayern Munich and Liverpool were heavily linked with the player. Notably, Liverpool came extremely close to signing Guéhi last summer, but that move collapsed in the final moments of the transfer window.

Guéhi originally developed through the prestigious Cobham academy at Chelsea and made his first-team debut in 2019. However, after struggling to secure a regular starting spot at Stamford Bridge, he joined Crystal Palace two years later to revive his career. 

During his five-year tenure at Selhurst Park, he rose to become the club captain. He was instrumental in Palace’s historic recent success, leading them to FA Cup and Community Shield titles, as well as securing qualification for European competition this season.