Chelsea have Paul Winstanley to thank for putting them in pole position to be a thorn in Newcastle’s plans

Chelsea have inserted a clause in the contract of Marc Guehi when selling him to Crystal Palace in 2021

According to Turkish journalist Ekrem Konur, Chelsea are planning to disrupt Newcastle United’s plans to sign Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi.

Newcastle United remain locked in talks with Crystal Palace over the potential signing of Marc Guehi, who is open to joining Eddie Howe’s forces this summer. The Magpies have already seen one bid rejected as they remain keen to lower the Eagles’ £65m valuation of the central defender with an offer of £50m plus bonuses.

However, Chelsea could decide to put a spanner in Newcastle’s works for the England international. On his X account, Ekrem Konur claims that the Blues have a clause in Guehi’s contract that enables them to match any offer Newcastle makes to Crystal Palace.

Guehi began his career at Chelsea but managed only two senior appearances in cup competitions. After excelling on loan with Swansea City, the 24-year-old was sold to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021 by then-sporting director Paul Winstanley.

The English defender has since developed into a crucial player for the Eagles, making 111 appearances across all competitions across three seasons at Selhurst Park. With his tough-tackling, consistent displays and leadership skills at the back for the south London outfit, Guehi has established himself as one of the most reliable defenders in the Premier League in recent years.

Guehi’s eye-catching performances during the 2023/24 Premier League season were rewarded with a call-up to the England squad for Euro 2024 earlier this summer. He was a standout performer as the Three Lions progressed to the final, where they were eventually beaten 2-1 by Spain in Berlin, Germany.

Going by the pre-season displays under new head coach Enzo Maresca, it would be safe to claim that Chelsea were all over the place defensively. Tosin Adarabioyo has been recruited on a free transfer from Fulham to fill the void left by veteran Thiago Silva, but after watching his team’s struggles at the back in the pre-season friendlies, especially against Manchester City recently, it wouldn’t be surprising if Enzo Maresca urges the board to push for further defensive reinforcements.

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In that case, Guehi would simply be perfect for Chelsea. With Thiago Silva’s exit, the Pensioners have lost a real leader in defence. None of the current crop of defenders exude calmness and reliability at the back unlike Guehi, whose natural leadership skills and defensive instincts could be viewed to potentially replace Silva.

Our club have done a great job by inserting a buy-back clause in Guehi’s contract while selling him to Palace three years ago. Going by the current predicament in defence, however, we must act swiftly and look to open talks with Palace to re-sign the England international, who could be tempted to return to Stamford Bridge after failing to make the grade earlier at our club.