Chelsea are reportedly eyeing up a surprise move for former defender Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace.
The 24-year-old was the subject of intense speculation during the summer transfer window, with Newcastle United failing in their attempts to lure the England international to St James' Park.
Newcastle allegedly had as many as four bids for Guehi turned down by the Eagles, including their final offer worth a club-record £65m inclusive of add-ons
To the delight of Palace, Guehi has stayed put at Selhurst Park, for now, but it is understood that the centre-back currently has no interest in extending his contract that expires in June 2026.
Palace could therefore be forced to cash in on Guehi in 2025 to ensure they do not lose such an invaluable asset for free 12 months later, something which has alerted a number of top English clubs.
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Chelsea join race for Guehi?
Recent reports have claimed that Manchester City will look to take advantage of Guehi's contract situation at Palace and could move for the centre-back next summer.
Newcastle are still believed to hold an interest in Guehi, while the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United have previously been credited with an interest.
However, according to TBR Football, Chelsea are the latest club to be keeping tabs on Guehi's situation and are ready to make a surprise move to re-sign the defender next year.
Guehi spent 12 years in Chelsea's academy between 2007 and 2019 before making his professional debut for the club under former head coach Frank Lampard in a 7-1 EFL Cup win over Grimsby Town.
The Englishman made just one more first-team appearance for the West Londoners before spending two loan spells at Swansea City in the Championship.
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Guehi then departed Chelsea permanently when he made the switch across London to Crystal Palace in 2021 for a reported £18m and has since established himself as a star player for the Eagles.
The defender has made a total of 115 first-team appearances for Palace across all competitions and was named club captain over the summer following the departure of Joel Ward.
Do Chelsea need to sign Guehi?
Chelsea have not shied away from splashing the cash on new players in the Todd Boehly era, but recruiting a new central defender is not thought to be among their priorities at present.
The Blues already have plenty of depth at the back, with head coach Enzo Maresca having Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill, Benoit Badiashile, Axel Disasi and Tosin Adarabioyo among his centre-back options.
A move for a new centre-forward is believed to be high on the agenda in 2025, though, after they missed out on a number of top targets including Victor Osimhen and Ivan Toney.
Oliver Thomas
