Crystal Palace made a late attempt to sign Ruben Kluivert as cover following Marc Guehi’s departure to Manchester City in a £20 million deal during the winter transfer window.
The Lyon defender attracted interest from the Eagles toward the end of the window, but the approach came too late in the day for anything meaningful to develop and a transfer never came close to completion.
Kluivert has since spoken to Ouest-France about the episode, and his comments suggest he was never particularly keen on making the switch to Selhurst Park in the first place.
The 24-year-old son of Patrick Kluivert acknowledged that the Premier League remains an ambition for him at some point in his career, but described the approach from Crystal Palace as confusing given how late it arrived. He expressed complete satisfaction with how things turned out, saying he is fully committed to Lyon’s project and confident the squad can go deep in both the Europa League and the Coupe de France. He added that the club made the right call by keeping him, and that he signed a five-year contract with the intention of staying for at least another two or three years. He described being wanted by Lyon as something of a relief.
Based on those comments, Crystal Palace are unlikely to have a realistic chance of signing Kluivert before 2028 at the earliest, which means finding a replacement for Guehi through other avenues will be a priority.
Kluivert was not the only centre-back linked with the club during a hectic deadline day. According to the Evening Standard, Palace made enquiries about Club Brugge defender Joel Ordonez and Toulouse’s Charlie Cresswell, the latter of whom came through the Leeds academy and had also been on the club’s radar during the summer of 2025. Reports from Portugal suggest Palace retain an interest in Sporting CP’s Ousmane Diomande as well, though that deal could command a fee in the region of £50 million.
Of the three options, Cresswell appears the most attainable, though the identity of Guehi’s permanent replacement remains to be seen.