Nathan Ake for Marc Guehi would “make all the sense in the world” for both Manchester City and Crystal Palace, says Keith Wyness.
Crystal Palace captain Guehi is out of contract this summer and is expected to leave on a free transfer.
However, Man City have shown interest in signing him this month following injuries to Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol.
Marc Guehi transfer saga: What you need to know
- Liverpool favourite after agreeing terms last summer
- Arsenal interested as free transfer viewed as too good to ignore
- City want England man now after Dias, Gvardiol injuries
- Bayern, Barcelona, Real Madrid also keen on summer deal
Eagles head coach Oliver Glasner has already confirmed that Guehi won’t sign a new contract and will leave at the end of the season.
The England centre-back almost joined Liverpool for around £40million in the summer, and it’s believed Palace want a similar fee to sell their captain mid-season.
It doesn’t make much sense for Palace to weaken themselves for the remainder of 2025/26 for the sake of £20m, while interested clubs will be reluctant to pay over £30m for someone available for free in six months.
It has been reported that City are behind Arsenal, Liverpool, and Bayern Munich in the race for Guehi’s signature, but they could hold a secret weapon.
READ: Transfer fee Crystal Palace ‘would take’ for Guehi revealed as ‘sweet spot’ for Man City emerges
Nathan Ake swap deal explained
That weapon is Ake, with a swap deal involving the Dutchman and Guehi a perfect outcome for City and Palace.
This is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, who thinks a cash-plus-player transfer makes sense as Palace would get a fee for their star man and receive an instant replacement.
Wyness told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “Really, that’s the one that makes all the sense in the world.
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“Well, Ake isn’t quite as good, you could say, as Guehi. Certainly, Ake plus money for Palace would be, I think, a great move because it gives them that coverage for the end of the season.
“I like Ake. I’ve always quite liked him. And I think he’s a talent. He’s still got a few good seasons left in him.
“And I think that would make sense. And I think it would give Palace cash plus player. Because if they had to go out and replace Guehi, they’d probably be spending all the money they’re going to get for Guehi.
“So I think that would suit both clubs very well, and I would expect that one to come through. Then again, common sense doesn’t always work in football. We’ve seen that in deals break down for all sorts of reasons, but it’s the one that makes the most sense at the moment and I would expect it to go through.”
Why Man City are pushing for Guehi now
This really isn’t the amazing deal for Palace that Wyness thinks it is.
Ake, who cost City £40m in 2020, is clearly someone Pep Guardiola needs right now. The whole point of accelerating interest in Guehi to January is because City need an extra body. Giving Palace a player in exchange makes little sense.
Guardiola’s first port of call after Dias and Gvardiol suffered injuries was to recall Max Alleyne from his loan at Watford. He has started three out of three games since returning to his parent club, including in Tuesday’s 2-0 win at Newcastle United.
Ake started at left-back at St James’ Park but could drop out of the starting XI this weekend against Manchester United as Rayan Ait-Nouri has returned from the Africa Cup of Nations.
The 30-year-old’s performances have been below par for City this season, so if he was used as a makeweight in negotiations for Guehi, there’s no guarantee Palace would be on board.
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