Chelsea are set for another very busy transfer window in the summer as Enzo Maresca’s looks to build a side capable of winning the Premier League, a trophy he hopes to bring back to Stamford Bridge for the first time since 2017. The Blues are in need of a defensive rebuild and are growing increasingly optimistic about landing one of their primary targets at the back.
GiveMeSport has reported that Chelsea are ‘confident’ that they will be able to secure a move for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi in the summer. The Englishmman is expected to depart Selhurst Park ahead of next season as he enters the final 12 months of his contract with the Eagles also likely to be willing to cash in on him to avoid losing their key defender for free a year later.
Liverpool have also been linked with a swoop for the 24-year-old, whose asking price could be set at £70 million in the summer. Though he is about to enter the last year of his contract, Guehi has attracted interested from a couple of other clubs, notably Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur, so Palace are in a strong place to stand firm on their asking price.
Guehi to Chelsea a matter of time
Marc Guehi, who was a part of Chelsea’s youth setup, has been linked with a swoop back to his boyhood club for several months. With the summer transfer window drawing close, it might only be a matter of time before the centre back and the Blues reunite with the player reportedly preferring to continue his career in London itself, thus handing his former side a massive boost.
With Liverpool, perhaps Chelsea’s biggest threat in the race for Guehi, expected to spend money on several other positions, it remains to be seen if they are serious about the Crystal Palace star, especially given his price tag in the last year of his contract. Plus, if Virgil van Dijk can be tied down to a new contract, the Reds’ need for a centre back is no longer as desperate.
Crystal Palace and Chelsea can soon be expected to begin formal discussions for Marc Guehi’s transfer. The player’s personal terms are unlikely to be much of an issue but the transfer could slow down if the Pensioners try to play the waiting game to reduce Guehi’s transfer fee. Nonetheless, Enzo Maresca would like to have his target as soon as he could, possibly for the FIFA Club World Cup commencing midway through June.
