Crystal Palace issue warning to Newcastle over Marc Guehi transfer

Crystal Palace owner Steve Parish has told Newcastle to cough up ‘superstar money’ if they want to sign England international Marc Guehi.

Mail Sport revealed on Monday that the Magpies had made a third offer, comprising of an initial £55million plus an additional £5m in add-ons, for the Palace central defender.

And speaking on Tuesday, Palace chairman Parish - who values Guehi at a minimum £65million - effectively publicly rejected Newcastle’s latest package.

‘If you want a superstar player, you've got to pay superstar money,' he told Sky Sports.

‘This is a player we love a lot. If we start the season with him, we'll be a better team.

‘We're nowhere near the point where we need to make a decision.

‘We love having him at the club and we would love to keep him at the club. So if somebody wants to make that otherwise, they have got to make it really difficult for us. At the moment, that's not the situation we're in.’

Asked if he believed Guehi would remain happy at Palace and not agitate for a move, Parish answered: ‘Marc Guehi is as decent a human being and a footballer as you could ever possibly hope to meet.

'Marc is absolutely loyal to Crystal Palace. Marc wants to progress his career, of course he does and if the right opportunity is there and it's right for us, I think it's something that he might be interested in. But he's certainly not putting any pressure on the club whatsoever.’

It remains to be seen how Newcastle now react to Parish’s public rejection of their latest offer with sporting director Paul Mitchell, who is handling the deal, believed to be keen on holding a final round of talks in hope of clinching the transfer.

Fulham’s interest in Guehi’s central defensive partner Joachim Andersen complicates Newcastle’s swoop.

The west London side have tabled a second offer, worth an initial £25million and an additional £5m in add-ons, for Denmark star Andersen, though sources insist the bid will bot be enough to tempt Palace into selling.

Palace value Andersen, 28, at £40m. Asked if Palace, who have already sold Michael Olise to Bayern Munich, would sell Guehi and Andersen this summer, Parish told the BBC: ‘I can’t imagine a situation where we would lose both of our centre-backs. We have got to sit and think about the right thing to do. If both of them are still here at the end of the window I wouldn’t be surprise.’

Meanwhile, Palace goalkeeper Sam Johnstone has been stripped of his No 1 jersey ahead of the Premier League kick-off, news exclusively revealed by Mail Sport on Tuesday.

Dean Henderson, who wore the No 30 last season, is set to be handed the coveted shirt in a clear indication that he will start the season as the team’s first choice keeper.

Johnstone, who spent the majority of last season as the Eagles’ preferred goalkeeper, was informed of the news on Monday.

The goalkeeper is fit again after missing the final two months of last season after suffering an elbow injury whilst on international duty that required surgery.

The injury not only saw him vacate his role as Palace’s No 1 but saw him ruled him out of England’s Euro 2024 squad, in which Gareth Southgate was due to select Johnstone as his second choice behind Jordan Pickford.

Henderson impressed Oliver Glasner during Palace’s excellent end to the season, during which the team were undefeated in their final seven matches, six of which finished with victories. Henderson also made England’s Euros squad.

With that in mind there has been doubt over who will start the season as Glasner’s first choice keeper ahead of Sunday’s opener versus Brentford.

But the fact Johnstone has been informed he has lost his shirt number suggests Henderson will get the nod.

Having held talks with Palace officials over the past fortnight, Johnstone, who joined Palace on free transfer, will be made available for transfer - at his own request - during the current window.

The former West Bromwich Albion man is determined to remain in the international fold and knows he needs to be playing regular first-team football to impress interim England head coach Lee Carsley.

Palace value Johnstone, 31, at £10million but it remains to be seen whether the club are ready to accept a lower fee to facilitate the keeper’s exit.

Nottingham Forest, Southampton, Wolves, Leicester and Bournemouth are among the clubs to have shown an early interest in Johnstone.

The experienced keeper is focussed on the season ahead with Palace as things stand, but it is clear now his future lies elsewhere.

Henderson joined Palace from Manchester United in a deal worth £20million in the summer of 2023.

Despite the substantial financial outlay, Johnstone retained his place Palace No 1 before injury cruelly curtailed his season last term.