According to The Sun, Real Madrid are increasingly confident of signing Marc Gehi when the Crystal Palace defender’s contract expires next summer.
The 25-year-old England international has emerged as one of Europe’s most coveted free agents, attracting strong interest from Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Barcelona, but reports suggest his intentions are strongly tilted towards a move to the Bernabéu.
Sources close to Los Blancos say club officials believe Gehi is an ideal long-term successor to the aging David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger, with his calm distribution and tactical intelligence making him a perfect fit in Xabi Alonso’s defensive system.
Real Madrid are confident of signing Marc Gehi
Madrid are confident that Gehi’s leadership, maturity and comfort on the ball make him the perfect addition to their backline.
Real Madrid’s optimism is said to also stem from Gehi’s admiration for several of his national team-mates who are already in Spain.
The defender has a strong relationship with Jude Bellingham and it is believed that his success since joining Madrid has influenced Gehi’s thinking.
Gehi now has another England team-mate in Trent Alexander-Arnold at Real Madrid, which could ease the process of settling in Madrid.
This is a big blow for Liverpool, who came close to signing Gehi in the summer transfer window, but remain interested in signing him next year.
Sources say Gehi is not keen on a mid-season move, preferring to evaluate his options in the summer when he is free to negotiate.
Crystal Palace star set to depart from Selhurst Park
For now, Crystal Palace appear resigned to losing their star defender, who has quietly established himself as one of England’s most consistent performers.
If Real Madrid can finalize a deal as expected, they will beat some of Europe’s biggest clubs to sign a Premier League centre-back.
All eyes will now be on how Liverpool react to this potential setback in the transfer window.
Local media have confirmed that Liverpool have joined the four-way battle over the South American’s €100m valuation.