Man Utd target 'closing' in on £60m transfer to Premier League rivals

Manchester United-linked Marc Guehi is ‘closing’ in on a move to Newcastle United from Crystal Palace, according to a report by The Telegraph. Eddie Howe’s side could end up forking out a fee in the region of £60million for his signature.

The Metro reported earlier this summer that the player had his admirers at Old Trafford. Fellow Premier League sides such as Liverpool and Arsenal were also mentioned as potential suitors. In this latest update regarding his situation, it appears Newcastle have stolen a march on their rivals in this particular pursuit. United have already brought in Leny Yoro in his position from Lille in this window.

Guehi, who is 24-years-old, joined Crystal Palace in 2021 and still has a couple of years left on his contract at Selhurst Park. Therefore, they are under no pressure to sell him so can wait for the best offer to come in for his services. He has made 111 appearances in all competitions for the South London outfit to date and has scored five goals from the back.

He rose up through the academy ranks at Chelsea and was a regular for the Blues at various different youth levels before going on to play twice for their first-team as a youngster. The Ivory Coast-born man was loaned out from Stamford Bridge twice to Swansea City to get some experience under his belt and boost his development.

Guehi left for Palace three years ago and hasn’t looked back since. He was part of England’s Euro 2024 squad in June and helped the Three Lions reach the final in Germany. However, they were beaten by Spain in Berlin. 

A former coach of his, Steve Owen, spoke about his pride of seeing him play so well at the tournament. He told BBC Sport: "Marc has really laid down a marker with his performances in this tournament and has shown maturity beyond his years. Hopefully he can keep the shirt moving forward. "Marc hardly ever put a foot wrong in training - he was a coach's dream. You would show him something a couple of times and he would understand straight away, unlike a lot of kids. He was very determined.

"He has always been a defender too, that's all he was ever interested in even at age six. I'd encourage him to go past the half way line in training but he'd never do it. I thought it was uncanny and he wasn't enjoying himself but he was."

United have been credited with an interest but his price tag seems very high, despite the fact he did well with England. Loro is a more long-term option and someone who Erik ten Hag will look to develop down the line.

The Red Devils have until the end of the month to bring in more players to boost their squad. They also have the opportunity to let some individuals head out the exit door to free up space and funds in their ranks to pave the way for reinforcements.