Newcastle thrust back into Marc Guehi transfer picture as Fabrizio Romano warns of ‘crazy battle’

Newcastle United have been personally namedropped by Fabrizio Romano as one of the sides in the hunt to sign Marc Guehi in 2026 and with Fabrizio Romano revealing nothing is guaranteed in a wide-open race and with TEAMtalk analysing whether a shock move to St James’ Park could be pulled off.

The England defender has informed Crystal Palace that he will not be signing a new contract at Selhurst Park and will therefore likely leave the south-east London side as a free agent in 2026. As one of the best and most composed defenders around, though, and given his best years are likely to be ahead of him, it’s easy to see why Guehi finds himself in such red-hot demand.

That hunt is currently very much focused on two sides, with Liverpool and Bayern Munich currently jostling for position.

The Premier League champions came within a whisker of landing the 25-year-old on deadline day. And while they agreed on a £35m fee that would have seen the Eagles claim a further 10% cut of any future sale, Crystal Palace aborted the transfer in the closing moments of the window, having failed to land on a suitable replacement themselves.

The Merseysiders still remain in the hunt, though, do now face strong competition from several sides, with Bayern Munich also very much keen and having held ‘initial talks’ with the player’s representatives.

However, Romano insists they are just two of a handful of sides keen and the trusted transfer guru has named Newcastle United when listing a number of clubs very much keen on a deal.

“Marc Guehi has many different opportunities to assess, and so we have to follow the situation and see what happens first before we start talking about Liverpool landing him on a free transfer,” Romano stated.

“It’s going to be a big battle, a big, big battle for Marc Guehi; in fact, I will say a massive one involving several clubs….

“Liverpool will be there in 2026, for sure, but more English clubs are interested in the player. He’s always been on the list of several clubs, including, for example, Newcastle.

“And not only, but from what I’m hearing, also top Italian clubs too. Top Spanish clubs have also started calling to understand the situation of Marc Guehi. Then there’s been some calls from Bayern. They are another club very much in the market for an important centre-back signing in 2026 and Marc Guehi is very much on their list and on the list of all these top clubs interested in an excellent player like him.”

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Do Newcastle really have a chance at signing Marc Guehi?

Newcastle fans will be all too aware of how close they too came to the signing of Guehi back in the summer of 2024.

Indeed, Eddie Howe’s side submitted offers of £50m, £55m and £60m – all of which were rejected by the Eagles – before ultimately walking away from a deal when the asking price started to inch towards the £70m mark.

However, it should come as no surprise that Howe still remains keen on his signing.

And sources have confirmed that the Newcastle boss would very much love to get his hands on the 26-times capped England defender were the opportunity to arise this summer.

That said, Howe will know from the level of club now in for the player, that it remains something of a long shot he winds up on Tyneside. And at the very least, the Magpies would surely need to be able to offer the centre-half Champions League football to stand any chance of competing for his signature.

Nonetheless, Newcastle will keep a close watch on developments and sources understand it is not beyond the question that Newcastle put a firm offer on the table to the player ahead of his free-agency status.

His qualities, though, continue to impress Gueh’s suitors as Romano went on to explain: “They are impressed by not just his defending but also the leadership of Marc, here. So they are on the same page on this.

“Palace know, though, he will not sign a new contract. And he will 100% become a free agent in 2026, meaning the big battle has started.

“It will take some time before we understand who’s going to win this race. But right now, it is going to be a crazy battle for sure.”

Meanwhile, our transfer insider Dean Jones also Guehi will approach the summer transfer window with a very open mind on where to play next.

“I think we need to be very clear that the situation has changed with Guehi,” Jones insisted. “He is looking at things from a fresh perspective now. His approach to a transfer is unclouded by past thoughts.

“So I would take the Bayern rumour seriously, it might be something that starts to hold real appeal as the player thinks about his next move.

“Of course, there was a sense of disappointment when his move to Liverpool fell through, but some of the reports were over the top in terms of his reaction.

“He always knew there was a chance that the deal could collapse, and he’s a level-headed player who knows other opportunities are ahead of him.

“He did want to join Liverpool and is still interested, but now the situation is completely open. I don’t think he is any more likely to commit to Anfield than any other major club at this moment.

“I understand he’s looking at everything with fresh eyes and Bayern could well become a very interesting option.”

Newcastle latest: Scholes names Toon star best in class; Gordon warning

Meanwhile, Manchester United’s failure to press ahead with a summer interest in Sandro Tonali has come back to the fore, after Paul Scholes explained why he thinks the Newcastle midfielder is better than Arsenal star Declan Rice and named him the Premier League’s best midfielder.

Elsewhere, the Magpies will be encouraged by Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso’s latest decision on an expensive star that Howe is keen on bringing to St James’ Park.

Finally, Anthony Gordon has been warned that his place in England’s World Cup squad could come under serious threat if he does not raise his game with our deep dive into the performances of a rejuvenated star putting real pressure on the Gallowgate end favourite.

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