🔗 Share this article

In just 34 days, Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi will be free to complete a move a European club when his contract expires on 30 June.

The defender can sign a preliminary deal with a team overseas when the January window opens on New Year's Day 2026.

The Anfield club passed up the opportunity to buy the England centre-back for £35m in the summer. The transfer saga, which dragged on throughout the transfer period, concluded when Palace were unable to secure a adequate alternative.

It resulted in the Selhurst Park side forgoing a significant fee for the defender with only one year left on his contract, but retained their talisman after losing Eberechi Eze to Arsenal a week earlier.

The club are still interested to renew their interest, though there are no guarantees the move will materialise.

The defender now has other options and it is understood elite teams in the continent have already expressed an intention.

The player, though, is not the sole high-profile defender who might be on the market on a free transfer next the coming window.

Liverpool's own French defender has also been linked with a move to the Spanish giants at the expiry of his current deal, possibly emulating in the path of former teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold.

However, rumors on Friday morning indicated Los Blancos have halted their reported chase, with no concrete interest apparent.

His unresolved situation has been often mentioned as a reason for his poor form.

Real Madrid could part with players the German, in his thirties, and David Alaba, also in his thirties, this transfer window with both about to begin the last stretch of their contracts.

It positions the Palace star and Dayot Upamecano as possibilities if they are to enter the free market to reinforce at centre-back - a approach they have used repeatedly in recent seasons.

Guehi Matches Real Madrid's Strategy

The La Liga side have an attraction in the Englishman and he aligns with a evident squad need at the back.

Dean Huijsen has emerged as a starter, but Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger have both had injury issues. He is now in his thirties, another option has not completely impressed and the veteran has lost pace after a long spell on the sidelines.

The Crystal Palace man, a established English top-flight player with personality, quickness and plenty of sound judgment, is viewed as the kind of calming influence who can compete straight away for minutes.

His case fits alongside the club's broader transfer policy: three kinds of deals. Initially, the young talent who can grow into a superstar. Second, the cost-free but proven individual, where substantial signing-on fees substitute for transfer costs.

And third, the big-fee signing set aside for particular players viewed as immediate first-teamers.