Crystal Palace Wages
Crystal Palace are now bracing themselves for Chelsea to bid for one of their prized possessions in defence Marc Guehi, transfer insider Dean Jones has told GIVEMESPORT.
However, Jones has claimed that the club will not welcome a bid due to his importance on the squad and that Guehi remains intent on playing regular first-team football.
Crystal Palace news – Marc Guehi
Off the back of impressing season after season for Palace, their fellow Londoners Chelsea are considering a move for England defender Guehi, according to The Guardian.
Just earlier this month, presenter HLTCO told GIVEMESPORT that they believe Guehi is in line to become the club’s captain next season, but a move away will prevent him from stepping up to the plate.
The 23-year-old rose up through the Chelsea academy ranks and eventually joined Palace after failing to break through into the senior set-up in west London.
Now, however, he may be set for a potential return.
In two seasons at the club, Guehi has contributed to 82 games and scored five goals, becoming a mainstay in the heart of defence during that process.
However, Jones believes that regular game time at a top side – such as Chelsea – could take his playing career to the next level, especially with a spot in the England squad seemingly up for grabs.
Despite his ripe age, Guehi has already been capped on four occasions for his nation and will be looking to increase his tally in the near future, with his eyes firmly set on the UEFA Euro 2024 competition.
What has Dean Jones said about Crystal Palace and Marc Guehi?
On the 23-year-old, Jones said that Palace are readying themselves for when the inevitable bid from Chelsea comes their way, although they have slapped a sizable £60m price tag on his head.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: “Crystal Palace are bracing themselves for contact from Chelsea over Marc Guehi, but they will not welcome a bid. Guehi actually came through Chelsea’s youth set-up and only left permanently in 2021 so this would be a very quick U-turn from the club to get him back in.
“From a Palace point of view, they will continue to price him high, the last check told me they see him as a £60m player, but we have to also consider Guehi’s stance here.
“This is a player who is very motivated by the prospect of being part of the England team in Germany at the end of the next season and if he is going to achieve that he must be playing at a very consistently high level.
“When Arsenal were first sniffing around him, I was told he had slight reservations about game time and I would see that to be a potential issue again here. This of all seasons is one where Guehi must make sure he is starting games every week.”
What next for Crystal Palace?
Palace have been fairly quiet this summer, signing only Jefferson Lerma on a free from fellow Premier League club Bournemouth, as reported by BBC Sport.
And despite their strong resolve for Guehi, DAZN Italia (via Italian Football TV) have claimed they have offered Torino centre-back Perr Schuurs a four-year contract.
Whether the interest is just to alleviate the stress of potentially losing Guehi is unknown, but signing a player of Schuurs potential is a wise move.
In terms of outgoings, cult hero Wilfried Zaha’s future at the club is also been left uncertain with a move away seeming inevitable for a few years.
The 30-year-old is believed, per talkSPORT, to have offers on the table from all over including from Saudi Arabia.
Having played 305 games and registering 86 goals in his stint at Palace, leaving on a free transfer would be a massive blow for the club unless they can tie up a deal in the meantime.
Palace have been mid-table dwellers for too long now and with the seasoned Roy Hodgson appointed as permanent manager for the forthcoming season, breaking into the top half of the table will surely be in his sights.
