**Marc Guehi has lifted the lid on his January move to Manchester City, revealing that England teammates Phil Foden and John Stones were instrumental in convincing him to make the switch to the Etihad Stadium rather than wait for Liverpool to reignite their interest.
The 25-year-old defender completed a £20 million move from Crystal Palace on January 19, becoming City's second signing of the winter window following the earlier capture of Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth. The deal takes Pep Guardiola's side's spending past £80 million this month alone.
Speaking after his debut in Saturday's 2-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, Guehi explained how conversations with his international colleagues helped seal the deal.
"We've been talking for quite a while and obviously talked with different clubs," Guehi told reporters. "I felt from conversations, through talking with some of the players here, that this was the place for me to improve, to get better and just to help as much as possible. Phil and John, conversations with the manager, conversations with Hugo [Viana], so it's been great."
Guehi has known Foden since their days together in England's youth setup, having first played alongside the midfielder in the U16s team a decade ago. Stones, meanwhile, has been a regular partner in the senior England defence.
The move comes after Guehi was "very close" to joining Liverpool last summer. The Reds agreed a £35 million deal with Palace on deadline day, with the medical "pretty much done" before the Eagles pulled the plug when they couldn't secure a replacement in time.
"The medical was pretty much done and then it got pulled at the last minute. So, I was quite close," Guehi admitted. "My mindset is always move on to the next one... what will be, will be. God has got a plan for me."
City's urgency in completing the deal stemmed from their defensive injury crisis. With John Stones, Ruben Dias, and Josko Gvardiol all sidelined, and Nathan Ake requiring carefully managed minutes, Guehi immediately became the senior centre-back in Saturday's lineup, partnering 21-year-old Abdukodir Khusanov.
His arrival takes City's total spending across the last three transfer windows to a staggering £425.3 million on 12 first-team players as Guardiola continues his squad rebuild. Liverpool, meanwhile, have spent £448.5 million in the same period, including marquee moves for Alexander Isak (£125m) and Florian Wirtz (£116m).
With the January deadline approaching on February 2, Guehi's decision to choose City could prove pivotal in the Premier League title race, depriving the league leaders of a proven international defender while bolstering their main rivals.**
