Arsenal barge Man Utd out of the way in race to sign elite centre-back

Tom Weber

Updated: 18 Jun 2024 10:57 BST
3 min read

Mikel Arteta, Arsenal, 2023/24 — © IMAGO

Arsenal have entered the race to sign England star Marc Guehi, according to a report.

Article continues under the video

The Crystal Palace centre-back has put his name firmly back on the radar of elite clubs with his outstanding performance in England's opening Euro 2024 victory over Serbia.

Speculation surrounding the future of Guehi had been rampant in the spring, but it went somewhat quiet in recent weeks. Now, however, talk about his future has fully exploded again.

A lot of this is down to the fact that Everton are playing hardball regarding Jarrad Branthwaite, who is Man Utd's top target for the centre-back position.

The Red Devils' opening offer of a little over €40 million was rejected out of hand as 'derisory' but Man Utd have no intention of matching Everton's €80m+ asking price.

This has seen Erik ten Hag and company look at other targets and Guehi is high on their list. But now Arsenal are also firmly in the race.

Arsenal want Guehi

At least that is according to CaughtOffside, which claims that the Gunners have now barged into the frame for the Chelsea academy graduate.

Recent reports have suggested that Crystal Palace will demand at least €77m for Guehi, but while the above-mentioned article mentions lower demands (€60m-€70m), it states that even these fees are deemed exorbitant by Arsenal.

Either way, with Guehi currently starring at Euro 2024, it will take some time before concrete offers will materialise for him. Palace don't want to lose the 23-year-old, but they accept that it will be incredibly difficult to keep hold of him.

Arsenal's interest in Guehi is intriguing, however, because the Gunners don't face a pressing need to add another centre-back, unlike Man Utd. Mikel Arteta and sporting director Edu are thought to be looking at players who can play both centrally and at left-back, which is something that Guehi can't, although the right-footer is used to playing as a left-sided centre-back.