Crystal Palace remain interested in signing Guessand, according to the London Standard, but will now face competition from other Premier League clubs and European sides having lost the preferential position the loan agreement gave them. The option was priced at around £28 million.
Guessand joined Palace from Aston Villa on loan in January and started well at Selhurst Park, contributing five goals and two assists before a knee injury disrupted the final two months of his season. He played just 29 minutes of Palace's last eight league matches and came off the bench in the Conference League final victory over Rayo Vallecano — the club's first major European trophy.
He will represent Ivory Coast at the World Cup before returning to Villa to discuss his future with Unai Emery, who acknowledged in January that the loan was a financially sound decision for the club even if he had not initially wanted to lose the player.
"It's something similar to (Donyell) Malen," Emery said. "I was happy with him. I didn't want him to leave. But I accepted it is something good deal for the club."
Villa have already received multiple enquiries about Guessand's availability and are expected to sell. He joined the club from Nice for £30 million in the summer of 2025 and has not established himself as a regular under Emery.
Palace's decision-making is complicated by uncertainty over who will succeed Oliver Glasner, who left after the Conference League triumph. Neither the club nor the player are expected to make a final call until the managerial situation is clearer.