Newcastle United spent a lot of the summer transfer window trying to sign Marc Guehi.
It’s a transfer saga that many Newcastle fans and club figures are soon hoping to leave behind.
After joining the club in July, sporting director Paul Mitchell was tasked with picking up the pieces after Newcastle sold Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh to avoid a PSR punishment.
Marc Guehi was Eddie Howe’s top target in the summer. Newcastle were keen to add more depth to their squad as a result of long-term injuries to Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles. The latter still hasn’t returned to Newcastle’s first-team squad.
All of Newcastle’s bids; upwards of £70million, were knocked back by Crystal Palace where he remains now. Mitchell was confident of Newcastle signing Guehi, but ultimately he was left with egg on his face.
Reports in January have suggested Newcastle will keep an eye on Guehi in January and assess whether they can match any bids that come in for the 24-year-old.
Now, a recent report has revealed how much Guehi is demanding from interested clubs. It’s staggering.
Marc Guehi wants to be Newcastle’s highest earner
Newcastle are reluctant to spend in January given their recent issues with PSR. The Magpies have already missed out on targets in the transfer window because of their stance.
According to the Daily Mail, Guehi’s wage demands are around £170,000 per week. If the club were to sign Guehi, it would make him Newcastle’s highest earner. He would be earning a bigger wage than Bruno Guimaraes who is currently the Magpies top earner on £160,000 per week.
The report also states that Palace are looking for a fee of around £60m for Guehi. Chelsea are favourites to land Guehi. They are also thought to plan on using Trevoh Chalobah as a sweetener for the deal.
Chelsea could even receive a discount for the deal given the fact that they have a 20% sell-on clause for the defender who left the club for Palace in 2021.
If Newcastle want to make a deal for Guehi happen, it’s clear they need to stop digging their heels in over how much they are willing to spend.
Newcastle are not desperate for a defender
While signing Guehi looked like the be-all and end-all in the summer. That is not the case in January. The disappointment of failing to land Guehi was significantly suppressed by how good Fabian Schar has been this season.
Schar is out of contract at the end of the season, but Howe is keen to keep the 33-year-old at the club. Newcastle’s transfer priorities currently lay in attack.
The Magpies are keen on signing a striker and a winger to provide more options should anything happen to Alexander Isak before the end of the season.
Miguel Almiron is close to joining Atlanta United, so Newcastle are short of options on the right wing.
While Guehi would still be a great signing for Newcastle. There are much cheaper options out there.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
