MX23RW : Wednesday, March 12 20:09:33| >> :120:6717:6717:

Chelsea 'confident' of winning race for £70m-rated Premier League star amid Tottenham competition

Stealing from the Palace: Chelsea 'confident' of beating Spurs to Eagles star
© Imago
Chelsea are reportedly confident that they will pip London rivals Tottenham Hotspur to the signing of Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi in the summer.

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

Marc Guehi celebrates after scoring for Crystal Palace on January 15, 2025© Imago

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?

Chelsea's Axel Disasi pictured on December 19, 2024© Imago

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.

ID:565185:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect5737:
Written by
Ben Knapton

Marc Guehi future - Click here for more stories

Click here for more stories about Marc Guehi

Click here for more stories about Chelsea

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Bournemouth's Dean Huijsen with Milos Kerkez on December 5, 2024
Read Next:
Chelsea facing competition from Premier League club for Bournemouth star?
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool29217169274270
2Arsenal281510352242855
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest28156745331251
4Chelsea28147753361749
5Manchester CityMan City28145953381547
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2814594738947
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton28121064640646
8Aston Villa2912984145-445
9Bournemouth28128847341344
10Fulham2811984138342
11Crystal Palace2810993633339
12Brentford28115124844438
13Tottenham HotspurSpurs281041455411434
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd2897123440-634
15Everton2871293135-433
16West Ham UnitedWest Ham2896133248-1633
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2865173857-1923
18Ipswich TownIpswich2838172658-3217
19Leicester CityLeicester2845192562-3717
20Southampton2823232068-489


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!