Man City Complete Guehi Deal as Fabrizio Romano Confirms 'Here We Go'

Marc Guehi's long-winding transfer saga has finally reached its conclusion, with Manchester City completing the signing of the Crystal Palace defender after making their move in January rather than waiting until summer.

Fabrizio Romano delivered his "here we go" confirmation on Friday, revealing that City had successfully convinced the England international to abandon his original plan of leaving on a free transfer when his contract expires. The fee is understood to be around £20m, with Guehi having accepted the proposal from the Etihad outfit.

The defender's situation had been one of the more intriguing subplots in the transfer market. Liverpool came agonisingly close to landing him last summer, with Guehi undergoing a medical before Crystal Palace cold feet scuppered the deal entirely. The Reds remained keen on a free transfer swoop, as did Arsenal, who manager Mikel Arteta has long admired.

Bayern Munich also held discussions with the player's representatives, though the Bundesliga giants' expectation that Dayot Upamecano would pen fresh terms meant they weren't aggressively pursuing matters.

City, however, had different ideas. Rather than wait until summer, they moved decisively in the January window, presenting what Romano described as an "important proposal" to Guehi on the contract front. The approach proved decisive, with the 24-year-old opting to cut short his Palace stay rather than run down his deal.

Guehi's original intention had always been to secure a move as a free agent, maximising his earning potential in the process. That plan changed once City made their pitch, with the club demonstrating they were prepared to negotiate directly with Palace rather than simply waiting for his contract to expire.

Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner had previously acknowledged the financial realities of the situation. Speaking last week, he suggested there existed a threshold beyond which the club would have no choice but to sell, particularly if both the player and a suitor of City's stature came calling with a substantial offer.

"If the player says: 'I want to leave' and the money is above the threshold, it will happen," Glasner said. "If a massive offer comes from City and Marc wants to do it, it will happen."

That moment has now arrived, with City getting their man and Guehi finally making his move away from Selhurst Park after establishing himself as one of the Premier League's most accomplished young centre-backs.