Chelsea are considering an approach sign again former Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, reports claim, has seen him flourish since leaving Stamford Bridge in 2021.
Guehi joined Palace for £18m after an 18-month loan spell at Swansea City. He has become one of the Premier League’s best centre-backs and has enjoyed a starring role for England at Euro 2024.
Chelsea’s desire to strengthen their defense this month appears to have been guided the latest injury suffered by Wesley Fofanawho has played just 32 times since his £75m move in 2022.
The Daily Mail reports that Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca is a “big fan” of Guehi, and Palace are aware that there is interest from the 24-year-old’s former club. Ideally, the south London club want to keep hold of Guehi and persuade him to sign a new contract after his current deal expires in 2026.
Palace demanded £70m for Guehi last summer when Newcastle United had multiple rejected offersbut it remains to be seen whether they could command as much again given that he would be entering the final year of his contract next season.
Chelsea are tipped to offer Trevoh Chalobah, currently on loan at Selhurst Park, as part of the proposed move, although Palace they say they prefer cash business.
There are further complications with Chelsea having a sell-on clause attached to Guehi, and it’s not entirely clear how that would actually work if it did Chelsea which are a buying club. It is also thought that with potential wage demands of £170,000-a-week, he may not fit into Chelsea’s wage structure, which has changed significantly over the past few seasons.
Chelsea’s desire for a central defender has already been seen the possibility of Chalobah being impeached from the loan. The 25-year-old has made 80 appearances over two-and-a-half seasons as a first-team player, but it would be a major turnaround for the club after being harshly frozen out last summer.
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