Manchester United aren’t short of centre-backs with Lisandro Martínez, Raphaël Varane, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelöf, Eric Bailly and Jonny Evans, but Fabrizio Romano told Give Me Sport that Erik Ten Hag is still after another defender before the summer transfer window shuts.
Maguire has been placed on the transfer list but is refusing a move away from Old Trafford while Bailly appears to be surplus to requirements after falling down the pecking order, so Ten Hag is considering a move for Marc Guehi among others as a potential replacement for one of the pair.
Romano notes that Jean-Clair Todibo, Benjamin Pavard and Edmond Tapsoba are on United’s shortlist, but he played down talk of an official bid being made. He said: “So Todibo remains in the list, but Pavard is the priority option. And then there are also Tapsoba and Guehi as appreciated players, but (they’re) not priorities for Manchester United.”
Guehi joined Crystal Palace from Chelsea in 2021 and has gone on to make 84 appearances in all competitions, scoring five goals with one assist. Last season, Lisandro Martinez was the only United centre-back to average more tackles per game (2) than Guehi (1.4) while Diogo Dalot was the only player to average more interceptions (1.2) than the England international.
Palace aren’t obligated to cash in early as Guehi has three years remaining on his deal. Reports suggest the 23-year-old would cost around £60m too, so he won’t come cheap. Maguire would have fetched £30m if sold to West Ham United, but his transfer fell through.
It remains to be seen if any other club will make a bid for the 30-year-old, so Ten Hag risks being stuck with Maguire. Guehi has featured in both of Palace’s league games this season, so it doesn’t appear his head has been turned by the transfer speculation.
And while Maguire remains on the books, United probably won’t sign another defender. Ten Hag is overstocked in the position and might feel there are more fervent positions that need strengthening.
