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Newcastle could sign “exceptional” long-term target for free
Newcastle United have had a long-standing interest in Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, now it is being reported that the club will remain interested in the signing this summer and beyond.
It is no secret to the St James’ Park faithful that the club is keen to bolster the depth in the centre-back roles, and the very public chase for Guehi last summer was a testament to their intentions.
The back-and-forth between Palace and Newcastle lasted several weeks towards the end of the summer transfer window last year, with the Tyneside giants resigning to defeat following a rejected club-record offer of £65m.
It led to no further attempts to sign another centre-back in the final days of the transfer window, and there was no movement on other targets during the most recent transfer window in January either.
Newcastle’s 33-year-old Fabian Schar recently extended his stay in the North East for another 12 months, so it is expected that he will continue his first-team role alongside Sven Botman in the centre-back partnership for the foreseeable.
However, Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano revealed over the weekend that the Magpies have not given up on their pursuit of Guehi and could return to the negotiating table this summer.
Romano claimed on the social media platform X:
“Tottenham, Chelsea and Newcastle remain all keen on signing Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace as he’s been on their lists for months.”
“There’s also a possibility Guehi goes on free transfer in 2026 if a deal can’t be agreed this summer.”
Should Newcastle wait to sign Marc Guehi?
Crystal Palace confirmed their place in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium this weekend, facing Manchester City to potentially secure not only their first major trophy but a place in the UEFA Europa League.
The outcome of their clash with the six-time Premier League champions will likely have a huge impact on the South London club’s willingness to part ways with their club captain in the summer.
As a result, if Palace do make dreams come true for their fans at Wembley, it may be another 12-month waiting game for Newcastle if they set their sights solely on signing Guehi.
Indeed, the 24-year-old star – once hailed “exceptional” by former England boss Gareth Southgate – would be the ideal long-term investment for Newcastle in their pursuit to find the dream partner for Botman given his wealth of Premier League experience.
However, with Chelsea and Tottenham also both interested in securing the signature of the talented defender, it will be an extremely competitive situation to navigate if he runs his contract down to become a free agent in the summer of 2026.
The Magpies don’t appear to have tunnel vision in their strong pursuit to sign an experienced Premier League centre-back with both AFC Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen and Liverpool’s Jarell Quansah reported to be on the club’s radar.
With that being said, Newcastle will need to weigh up their options when the transfer window opens in the summer and decide whether to commit with patience to their long-term target or move on.
