Chelsea are reportedly confident that they will pip London rivals Tottenham Hotspur to the signing of Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi in the summer.
The Blues and the Lilywhites were both tipped to make a move for the England international in January, although Enzo Maresca's side elected to recall Trevoh Chalobah from the Eagles instead.
Chelsea's Chalobah decision extinguished their chances of securing a January deal for Guehi, but the former Blues product has now entered the final 18 months of his contract with Oliver Glasner's team.
Should Palace's attempts to tie Guehi down to a new deal fail to bear fruit, they will likely be forced to consider a summer sale this time around to avoid the prospect of losing the centre-back for nothing in 2026.
Chelsea and Tottenham could therefore engage in another heated battle to sign Guehi, who has also been linked with Liverpool while Virgil van Dijk runs down the last six months of his contract.
Chelsea 'expect' Guehi to snub Tottenham transfer
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However, GIVEMESPORT claims that Chelsea believe that Guehi is keen to make the move back to Stamford Bridge, where he was on the books from 2007 to 2021, playing twice for the senior team.
As a result, the Blues are allegedly optimistic that the 24-year-old will reject the advances of Tottenham to re-sign for his boyhood team, who will revisit the situation once the campaign is over.
Chelsea apparently made 'tentative' contact over a January swoop for Guehi, but they were quickly rebuffed by Palace, who slapped a 'not-for-sale' sticker on the head of their star centre-back.
However, with Guehi about to enter the last 12 months of his deal, Palace may be receptive to offers this time around, potentially for less than the £70m that interested parties were supposedly quoted at first.
Guehi has scored eight goals and provided three assists in 139 appearances for the Eagles across all competitions since 2021, when he arrived from Chelsea in a deal costing £19.4m.
Chelsea set for summer defensive reshuffle?
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Guehi should not make the move back to Stamford Bridge without a couple of defensive departures first, but the Blues could place a couple of their current options on the chopping block.
The out-of-favour Axel Disasi is on loan at Aston Villa until the end of the season, and while the Lions do not have a permanent option or obligation, Chelsea could try to find a new stomping ground for the Frenchman this summer.
Disasi's former Monaco teammate Benoit Badiashile is also facing a slightly uncertain future amid interest from Serie A, while Wesley Fofana cannot be trusted to stay fit for an entire season.
Chalobah has seamlessly slotted back into the Chelsea defence, but whether Maresca views him as a long-term option is unclear.
Ben Knapton
