Marc Guehi’s Man City Wages Reveal Why Liverpool Walked Away

Manchester City have shored up their defence with the signing of Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace amid a defensive injury crisis.

While the transfer fee and timing made headlines, it is the financial terms of Guehi’s contract that explain how City got the deal done so swiftly.

Marc Guehi Man City Wages

Marc Guehi has signed a contract with Manchester City until June 2031, with wages reportedly around £300,000 per week.

That puts him beneath only Erling Haaland as one of Manchester City’s highest-paid players, and it suggests why other interested parties cooled their interest.

The £20 million fee looks modest on paper, but will likely come with significant agent fees along with the inflated wages.

Why Didn’t Liverpool Sign Guehi?

Man City already have 10 players earning over £200k per week, meaning Guehi slots into an existing top-tier salary structure.

At Liverpool, however, who came close to signing the England international last summer, the club operates a much tighter wage hierarchy.

They have six players earning above this wage bracket – three of whom were signed in the summer.

Adding a new defender at this level would have placed him close to lynchpin duo Mohamed Salah (£400k) and Virgil van Dijk (£350k).

For City, this move fits seamlessly into long-term planning, particularly as they prepare for life after Pep Guardiola.

But for Liverpool, it was a potential disruption to squad balance, and they simply couldn’t match what City were offering Guehi.

Liverpool Guehi Alternatives

Despite spending a record-breaking £446 million in the summer, Liverpool are set to dip back into the market in the summer – this time revamping central defence.

Ibrahima Konate’s contract expires in June, while Van Dijk’s runs for another 12 months.

Meanwhile, Joe Gomez’s future is up in the air, leaving Giovanni Leoni as the club’s only long-term central defender.

This implies Liverpool will sign at least two – possibly three – centre-backs in the summer, and the club would prefer to sign one established star paired with a young or emerging defender.

Nico Schlotterbeck is a name long admired by the club’s recruitment team, with the Borussia Dortmund defender’s deal running out in 2027.

The club are also monitoring 21-year-old Ousmane Diao of FC Midtjylland as more of a project signing.

Whether Liverpool make a move in January remains to be seen, but judging by how they typically operate, the likelihood is they will wait until the summer.

Why Man City needed Guehi

City’s decision to move now, rather than wait for a free transfer in the summer, was driven by necessity as much as opportunity.

Pep Guardiola’s squad has been hit hard in central defence. Ruben Dias is expected to miss several more weeks, Josko Gvardiol may not return this season, and John Stones has only just begun his recovery.

The absences have seen a wobble in form, including three consecutive draws that allowed Arsenal to open a gap at the top of the table, despite some open-play creativity problems of their own.

Guehi solves an immediate problem for City, who stands out for his technical quality and experience. He is comfortable defending large spaces, secure in possession, and brings leadership, qualities City have lacked in recent games.

From City’s point of view, paying premium wages for a player who strengthens the title push now and fits long-term squad planning is a calculated risk worth taking.