Chelsea have had discussions with Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi ahead of a potential summer move, according to reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano via CaughtOffside.
The Blues are in the transfer market for a defender following an injury to Wesley Fofana. The France international is set to be on the sidelines for several months after undergoing surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament.
The 22-year-old did not travel to America for the club’s pre-season tour. He missed a large chuck of games for Leicester in the 2021/22 campaign with a broken leg and has spent more time on the treatment table since moving to Stamford Bridge last summer.
Fofana racked up 22 appearances for the West Londoners and scored twice in all competitions as they finished 12th in the top flight – missing out on Europe. His latest injury coupled with the exit of Kalidou Koulibaly means Chelsea need to sign a replacement and Guehi has emerged as a target.
Fabrizio Romano claims the Blues have been in talks with the centre-backs representatives to discuss a potential move, but Chelsea are yet to formalise their interest with any concrete approach.
“Marc Guehi – There’s a lot of interest in the Crystal Palace defender, but it’s still too early to say where he will go,” Romano said.
“Palace players are always linked with moves away but it’s important to underline that Palace have to be respected and they want important money or they keep their stars.
“Chelsea had some contacts on the player side 15 days ago, but again, no concrete negotiations or anything advanced.”
Defensive reinforcement
Guehi is attracting interest from several Premier League clubs after impressing with Palace. He has emerged as one of the best young defenders in England and has been a mainstay in Palace’s defence since joining the club from Chelsea in 2021.
Last season, he helped the Eagles finish above the Blues in the Premier League table. He racked up 40 appearances and scored once across all competitions for Roy Hodgson’s side.
Guehi, who is valued at £30m by Transfermarkt, has three years left on his contract with Palace therefore the Eagles are under no pressure to sell on the cheap. That means potential suitors such as Chelsea will need to put forward an attractive offer if they want to stand a chance of signing the player this summer.
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