Chelsea handed boost in pursuit of star Euro 2024 defender

Chelsea handed boost in pursuit of Marc Guéhi as Arsenal pull out of race

According to The Times, as reported by Football London, Arsenal are unwilling to match the £70m price tag Crystal Palace have placed on Marc Guéhi, opening the way for Chelsea to make a move.

The 24-year-old, having established himself as a reliable Premier League defender over the past three years at Palace, has garnered further plaudits in recent weeks for his rock-solid display for England at the recently concluded UEFA Euro 2024.

Guéhi’s performances have made him another exciting Palace prospect attracting interest from outside Selhurst Park, with Michael Olise having already moved to Bayern Munich.

Palace spent around £18 million for Guéhi when they acquired him from Chelsea three seasons ago, which is almost a fourth of what they’re demanding to let him go now.

Chelsea, heavily linked with Guéhi, are in need of defensive reinforcement having said goodbye to their reliable veteran Thiago Silva at the end of last season.

Guéhi’s current contract at Palace, fetching him £50k per week, is set to run until June 2026, making the current transfer window the one in which Palace stand to make the most profit if they’re convinced that the Englishman won’t agree to a new contract to stay with them.

They don’t need him, but Chelsea could use Guéhi

With every player Chelsea are linked with, the same thing can and ought to be said over and over again: they have plenty of players already and need no more.

That said, Guéhi can be considered a bit of an exception given he’s a Chelsea academy graduate. Returning “home” would mean a lot more to him than moving to a different club, and Chelsea could do with a local player to build a team around, especially at the back.

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Guéhi, unlike Fikayo Tomori, has unquestionably benefited from remaining in the Premier League, which put him in Gareth Southgate’s good graces just enough for him to be able to get the opportunity to shine at a major tournament unlike Tomori, who despite a Serie A medal did not even make the cut.