Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner says there is no deal in place to sell captain Marc Guehi and that while he understands the financial allure of selling, they must keep him at the club in order to progress.

Guehi has a year remaining on his contract with Palace and has been the subject of an approach by Liverpool with the transfer window closing on Monday, but Glasner says he has an agreement with chairman Steve Parish that they would not sell Guehi unless a replacement had been signed by the beginning of pre-season.

The centre-back played the full game in Palace’s 3-0 win over Aston Villa on Sunday and scored their second goal with a curling shot past Marco Bizot.

“He’s so professional and it was clear he would play today,” Glasner said in his post-match press conference. “I can say it with clarity, and I said it to the chairman that it’s nothing to do with Oliver Glasner but we need to keep Marc to play a successful season.

“We had a meeting in March where we talked about the situation so again we know how the situation is and we have an agreement that we could sell Marc if we have the right replacement in. We wanted to have this replacement at the beginning of the pre-season to be independent from this situation.

“That was on July 9 (the season started), it’s August 31 and there is no replacement in the building so it’s clear one part of the agreement is not fulfilled that means we can’t sell Marc.

“It’s not a wish or gift for Oliver Glasner, it’s necessary for playing a successful season. We had a great start and I think our fans deserve to have the best players available. I know if we don’t sell Marc, he will accept it. He loves the club and team, he feels the appreciation and we feel the same from his side. That’s why I have to say we need to keep him.”

Palace have been weighing up whether to sell Guehi due to his contract situation, with no indication that he is prepared to sign a new deal. That would mean losing the 25-year-old on a free transfer next summer if he is not sold before the window closes and does not have a change of heart on agreeing fresh terms.

Parish told reporters after Palace’s penalty shootout victory over Liverpool in the Community Shield earlier this month that the club might have to sell the centre-back if a suitable offer was received, having turned down bids last summer and again in January.

(Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

Glasner said he accepts the club may find it enticing to sell from a financial perspective and that makes it a difficult decision, but believes if the club doesn’t want to go backwards, then Guehi must stay.

“There is no deal,” Glasner said. “We can decide, he’s our player, he’s under contract, he’s not striking. Nobody forces anybody to sign a deal. It’s up to us. The only one who decides if Marc stays at Palace or not is our chairman.

“I agree with what the chairman said — it’s a situation when a player has one year left on contract. That’s why we talked in March about it.

“For me, there is no option to sell him. I don’t have the final decision.

“I can be that clear because I have been that clear internally as well. I completely understand the club, the club completely understands me. The club has to take a decision which direction it has to go. Let’s see what happens tomorrow.

“(I understand it) from a financial perspective. It’s a tempting situation. It’s a challenging situation.

“I completely understand. But I’m responsible for sports, I think this group. The players and staff did fantastic in the last couple of months and if we want to progress, we have to keep him. If we accept maybe falling a step back, we sell him.”

(Top photo: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)