Newcastle United do not appear to be giving up in their pursuit of Marc Guehi.
The Magpies have been chasing Marc Guehi for almost a month now, but are still unable to strike an agreement with Crystal Palace.
There was hope on Wednesday morning that Newcastle were suddenly closer to signing Guehi, despite fears that Palace would aim to keep the 24-year-old following an injury concern for fellow centre-back Chadi Riad.
All the while, Newcastle have been linked with signing Mohamed Simakan instead. He is an exciting alternative to Guehi, while his current club RB Leipzig are lining up Antonio Silva as a replacement.
Marc Guehi to Newcastle United still expected to go through
There are so many moving parts, while Newcastle United fans are waiting nervously to see who, if anyone, arrives before the transfer window closes at 11pm on Friday night.
According the Daily Mail’s Craig Hope, it will still be Marc Guehi, with the journalist stating on his YouTube channel on Wednesday night that he still anticipates that the England international will move to St James’ Park.
“My information is…I still think Marc Guehi will happen,” he said.
“Palace were waiting to get the centre-half in. I think there has been movement on that today in terms of them agreeing a price.
“Once that happens I do expect Guehi to arrive at Newcastle United.”
Crystal Palace close in on Marc Guehi replacement
Hope suggests that the deal may hinge on Crystal Palace signing a replacement, which they became much closer to doing on Wednesday.
The Eagles have been trying to sign Maxence Lacroix from Wolfsburg, and made a breakthrough in negotiations following their Carabao Cup win over Norwich City.
Crystal Palace have agreed an £18million fee for Lacroix, and Hope believes that transfer could unlock the door for Newcastle United to bring Guehi to St James’ Park.
Fabrizio Romano has also stated on X on Thursday morning that the deal for Palace to sign Lacroix is on, with the defender due to undergo a medical.
He wrote on X: “Maxence Lacroix to Crystal Palace, story confirmed and here we go! All documents are approved by #CPFC and Wolfsburg, fee around £18m. He’s always been the #1 target for Glasner to replace Andersen. Medical in London in the next 24h.”
Newcastle will face major scrutiny if they do not get Guehi over the line
Given how much time Newcastle have committed to getting Guehi, it would be a crushing blow if the Magpies were unable to agree a deal. It would make a frustrating summer transfer window even more agonising, and major questions would need to be asked of those behind the scenes.
Instead, there is still a chance that Newcastle United could break their transfer record before 11pm on Friday. Alexander Isak is currently Newcastle’s most expensive signing ever, but that could change if Guehi arrives.
Hope is still confident that he will, despite the speculation surrounding Simakan.
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