Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi during the warm up before the match
Crystal Palace fans must be waiting with bated breath right now, as last-minute transfer developments continue to filter out of Selhurst Park.
Eberechi Eze has already heartbreakingly left East London behind, with Marc Guehi perhaps the next high-profile departee, as his much-talked-about switch to Liverpool remains up in the air.
Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi
If Guehi were to go, it doesn’t have to be all bad news, with the Eagles now looking to rekindle their interest in a defensive titan just in time before 7pm’s cut-off.
Crystal Palace rekindle interest in £40m star
Oliver Glasner’s Eagles already look to have defensive recruits in mind, with Igor Julio expected to leave Brighton and Hove Albion behind to join the Seagulls’ Premier League arch rivals on a loan basis before the window slams shut.
He could be joined through the door by past Palace target Strahinja Pavlović, with Sky Sports, via Ed Aarons reporting that the AC Milan colossus remains the Eagles’ number one target at the back, having looked at the Serbian in January.
Serbian defender Strahinja Pavlovic
However, the £40m-rated centre-back was deemed too costly at the time, with a deal also looking difficult to execute in the here and now.
Yet, if Guehi were to finally uproot to Anfield, that might well accelerate this move forward.
Therefore, Pavlović swapping Italy for England at the final hour could be a move to keep an eye out on, with the Premier League side winning a dream replacement for their 6-foot titan in the process.
How Pavlovic can be a dream Guehi replacement
After all, if Guehi were to relocate to Arne Slot’s Reds shortly, he has at least exited Glasner’s Eagles on the best possible note, having caressed this effort home versus Aston Villa to secure a farewell 3-0 win.
Away from that moment of individual brilliance, Guehi has also been rock solid at the start of the 2025/26 campaign, with the captain leading by example when collecting two clean sheets from his side’s opening three league clashes, with an imposing four duels won on average.
Palace’s deadline day target is also well known for being commanding in the air – as seen in this fierce header cannoning in at the back-end of the last Serie A campaign – with former Rossoneri icon Zlatan Ibrahimovic even going as far as to laud Pavlović as a “beast” in this department.
But, the 24-year-old is far from being a one-trick pony, even if he has also been heralded as a “warrior” by national team manager Dragan Stojkovic for his gritty approach, with his calm ability on the ball making him even more of a readymade replacement for Guehi.
Pavlovic in Serie A vs Guehi in PL (24/25)
Stat – per 90 mins*
Pavlovic
Guehi
Games played
24
34
Goals scored
2
3
Assists
1
2
Touches*
67.8
64.9
Accurate passes*
50.0 (89%)
43.1 (84%)
Total duels won*
Amazingly, Pavlovic actually bettered Guehi’s pass accuracy average last season in the hustle and bustle of Serie A action, with plenty of promising signs evident to suggest that the Serbian could fill the void left behind by the 25-year-old effectively.
It might just be too little too late for Palace if they want to get a statement deal over the line before 7pm, as Guehi’s switch to Liverpool perhaps goes down to the wire.
But, developments can suddenly spark into life on such a chaotic day, with Palace winning themselves a top deal at the death if Pavlovic does promptly swap Milan for London.
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