Manchester City have moved swiftly to address their defensive problems, snapping up Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace on a five-and-a-half-year deal reportedly worth £20 million.
With injuries piling up at centre-back, City stepped up their pursuit of the England international and got the deal done on Monday.
Welcome to City, Marc 🩵 pic.twitter.com/b2zwc6WtJW
— Manchester City (@ManCity) January 19, 2026
Guehi becomes City’s second signing of the January window, following the arrival of Ghana winger Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth in a deal worth around £65 million.
“I am really happy and incredibly proud to be a Manchester City player,” Guehi said after completing the move. “This feels like the culmination of all the hard work I’ve put into my career.
I am now at the best club in England and part of an unbelievable squad.
“I want to grow as a player and a person, and I know at this club that’s going to happen.”
City’s need was urgent. John Stones, Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol were all unavailable for Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Manchester United, leaving Pep Guardiola short of options at the back as the business end of the season approaches.
Director of football Hugo Viana was full of praise for the 25-year-old, calling him “one of the best defenders in English football for quite some time now.”
“He is only 25, but he’s already shown he is a leader, a brilliant professional and someone desperate to improve,” Viana said. “We feel we’ve signed a huge talent who will help us improve.”
Guehi arrives with plenty of pedigree. A Chelsea academy graduate, he made 188 appearances for Crystal Palace after joining the club in 2021. He also captained Palace to FA Cup glory against City in May, delivering the first major trophy in the club’s history, and has earned 26 England caps.
Liverpool and Bayern Munich were both monitoring the defender, with several clubs hoping to land him on a free transfer at the end of the season. City, however, chose not to wait.
Guehi’s arrival adds depth, leadership and reliability at a time City can’t afford any more cracks at the back.
Currently second in the Premier League, seven points behind leaders Arsenal, Guardiola’s side remain in the hunt for trophies across the Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup.
