Marc Guéhi completes Manchester City move on long-term deal to 2031

Manchester City have confirmed the signing of England centre-back Marc Guéhi from Crystal Palace on a five-and-a-half-year contract running until June 2031, adding a key defensive reinforcement in the middle of an injury-hit season.

Manchester City have officially announced the arrival of Marc Guéhi from Crystal Palace, with the 25-year-old England international signing a contract that keeps him at the Etihad Stadium until the summer of 2031.

City did not disclose the fee, but multiple reports in the UK put the deal at around £20m, with Chelsea – Guéhi’s former club – understood to receive a sell-on percentage under the terms of his 2021 move to Palace. The transfer makes Guéhi City’s second signing of the January window after the capture of winger Antoine Semenyo.

Guéhi arrives as part of Pep Guardiola’s response to a defensive injury crisis, with Rúben Dias, John Stones and Joško Gvardiol all having faced fitness issues this season. Describing City as “the best club in England”, Guéhi said the move was the ideal step at what he views as a “perfect age” to challenge for major honours at both domestic and European level.

A Chelsea academy graduate, Guéhi joined Crystal Palace in 2021 and quickly established himself as one of the Premier League’s most consistent centre-backs, making more than 180 appearances and captaining the club to its first-ever FA Cup title and a Community Shield win in 2025. His performances also secured him a regular place in the England set-up, where he has accumulated over 25 senior caps and featured at Euro 2024.

For City, the signing delivers both immediate depth and long-term planning in central defence, with Guéhi contracted through 2031 alongside a back line that already includes Dias, Gvardiol and Nathan Aké. For Palace, his departure marks the end of a pivotal chapter, with manager Oliver Glasner having already acknowledged that losing his captain would force a reset of the club’s defensive structure.