On Wednesday Spanish newspaper Sport were very confident Vicente Guaita to Crystal Palace was a matter of time, hours even.
The goalkeeper had travelled to England for a medical and it was stated Palace would be paying the player’s €8m buyout clause to ‘avoid conflict’ with Getafe.
Well, Thursday’s edition of AS has it very different indeed.
It’s explained Guaita trained normally with Getafe on Wednesday and there’s been no new offer or approach from Crystal Palace or anyone else.
Getafe’s position is said to remain the same: Either a club pays the full €8m clause or Guaita stays until the end of the season.
Crystal Palace’s offer is said to still stand at €4m + €1.
Going through the courts is another option, but AS say this would take months and therefore be largely worthless. The goalkeeper is now said to be reconsidering his position 
and could agree to stay until the end of the season, not that he has a choice if Getafe demand it.
There may be more to this than meets the eye. If Guaita had been so keen on a €8m clause then it’s wonder why that wasn’t in the actual contract rather than a separate, difficult to enforce, agreement.
It could be that Getafe agreed to the amount but didn’t want it used as a marketing ploy by the player and his agents, so it was supposed to be secret. Crystal Palace offering €4m + €1 would show they know of the clause.
Whilst that’s just a theory it could explain why Getafe are said to have been furious with how this has all panned out.
