'Our captain': Oliver Glasner makes Marc Guehi transfer admission amid firm Manchester United interest

Oliver Glasner says he is optimistic captain Marc Guehi who is returning from a knee injury will snub interest from elsewhere in the summer and become a club legend at Crystal Palace. The 23-year-old is a man in demand after three excellent years in south London where he’s played 108 times and scored five goals.

He joined the Eagles from Chelsea in 2020 for a deal worth around £18million, but his price is now worth around £60million even though he has just two years left on his current deal. 

The challenge for Palace is that they do not want a repeat of the situation when Wilfried Zaha stalled when offered a new deal before running down his time and moving to Turkey as a free agent last summer. 

The England international will enter the final 12 months of his contract after next season so the Eagles might be tempted to cash in now that they can still get a substantial fee for him. But manager Glasner says he is optimistic the defender will stay at the club beyond this summer.

He told reporters ahead of the game against Manchester United, who are said to be keen on him: “I'm optimistic. It's May and many situations can change. He's under contract and he's a good player - he's our captain.” 

Huge boost after two months 

Palace have been able to make progress without their captain but he returns in time and manager Glasner says he intends to go the remainder of the season undefeated. 

Guehi's return is also a boost for England manager Gareth Southgate who is in the final stages of putting his squad together for the Euros this summer.

The former Chelsea defender was a member of the England team before the injury that forced him to miss the last international break.