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Manchester City England defender to be signed Mark Geshe from crystal palace.
A deal has yet to be agreed but City are likely to seal a £20m deal for the centre-back, who has withdrawn from the Crystal Palace squad ahead of Saturday’s game against Sunderland.
Gueshi will become City’s second January signing, following the £62.5m signing of Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth, which will help ease the Guardiolaof Defense injury crisisand If Guardiol, Ruben Dias and John Stones were both absent.
The cut-price fee is likely to rise with bonuses and a sell-on clause, as Gueye’s contract expires at the end of the season and Palace could lose their captain on a free transfer.
Geshe was close to joining Liverpool on the final day of the summer transfer window when a deal worth £35m was agreed, but Palace pulled out of the deal after it was too late to find a replacement.
While Liverpool still admired Guehi, they felt there was no value in a January deal and therefore did not submit an offer. Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid also showed interest but made no bids, so City are in pole position to land a player they have liked for years.
Crystal Palace are willing to sell, with manager Oliver Glasner saying: “As of the latest information, a deal with Mark is in the final stages. We can’t confirm but it’s not done yet. The result is that Mark won’t play tomorrow [Saturday] For us.
“When players want to leave, deals happen. It looks like it has happened now. Everyone wants Mark to stay permanently. I have spoken to him and, of course, it is just a matter between us. Mark has shown that in the summer transfer window and has shown throughout the autumn that he is 100 per cent committed to the team and contributing to the team.” crystal palace“.
City have spent more than £400m in the past 12 months and Guerhy’s arrival could lead to Stones leaving in the summer, with his contract expiring at the end of the season.
Guardiola has said Dias will return soon, but Gvaldiol is likely to miss the rest of the season, with youngsters Abdukodir Kusanov and Max Alleyn filling in at centre-back for the past three games.
Nonetheless, the City boss told a press conference ahead of this weekend’s Manchester derby that he had “nothing to say” when asked about Gueshi’s imminent arrival.
Ghey will go on to become Palace’s most successful captain in their history after helping them win their first two trophies, beating Manchester City in last season’s FA Cup final and Liverpool in the Community Shield.