'Superstar money' - Newcastle United handed warning over Crystal Palace star as Fulham move for Magpies target

Crystal Palace owner Simon Parish has warned Newcastle United will have to pay ‘superstar money’ if they are to bring a successful end to their attempts to sign Eagles defender Marc Guehi.

After being linked with several centre-backs over the last two months, the Magpies have focused their attempts to boost Eddie Howe’s defensive ranks on a big money deal for the former Chelsea academy product. Guehi’s reputation has grown rapidly in recent years after he impressed during his time at Selhurst Park and broke into the England senior setup. The 24-year-old’s stock reached a new high when he produced a series of impressive displays during the Three Lions’ run to the final of Euro 2024 during the summer and that has led to speculation several clubs are hoping to tempt Palace with a lucrative offer for one of their prize assets.

Newcastle are said to be leading the race to sign Guehi but have made two unsuccessful offers to land the defender before returning with a third bid believed to be worth an initial £55m with an additional £5m in add-ons. Although there has been no official confirmation that latest offer has been rejected, Eagles owner Parish did seem to effectively reject it on Tuesday during an interview with Sky Sports News.

He said: “If you want a superstar player, you've got to pay superstar money. This is a player we love a lot. If we start the season with him, we'll be a better team. We're nowhere near the point where we need to make a decision. We love having him at the club and we would love to keep him at the club. So if somebody wants to make that otherwise, they have got to make it really difficult for us. At the moment, that's not the situation we're in.”

Despite firing a warning to the Magpies, the Selhurst Park supremo did seem to hint Palace were still open to finding an agreement if he felt the deal was right for both Guehi and his club.

He said: “Marc Guehi is as decent a human being and a footballer as you could ever possibly hope to meet. Marc is absolutely loyal to Crystal Palace. Marc wants to progress his career, of course he does and if the right opportunity is there and it's right for us, I think it's something that he might be interested in. But he's certainly not putting any pressure on the club whatsoever.’

Newcastle have been linked with another Palace defender in the recent past after reports suggested the Magpies were among several clubs keen on a move for Denmark international Joachim Andersen. Fulham reportedly lodged a £20m offer for the former Sampdoria and Lyon centre-back earlier this week and remain keen to take the defender back to Craven Cottage after he spent a successful season on loan with the Cottagers earlier in his career. However, Andersen admitted he was ‘happy where he is’ as he enters into the final two years of his current deal with Palace.

He said: “I can’t say much, I have two years left on my contract. It’s always nice when clubs want you. Of course, I just play football and I try to do my best, I had three really good years at Palace and we are building something great. I am happy where I am, I am a Palace player, I have two years left, so I can’t say more than that.”