Crystal Palace fans will be delighted about a rumour now coming from Chelsea, involving Monaco defender Axel Disasi.
The Blues have now agreed a €45m (£39m) deal to sign the France international – according to Fabrizio Romano.
So, why is that good news for Crystal Palace? Let’s take a look…
What’s the story?
Well – again according to the reliable Romano – Chelsea recently held talks about signing Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace, a player who the Blues actually sold to the south Londoners in July 2021.
The Italian journalist told Caught Offside: “Marc Guehi. There’s a lot of interest in the Crystal Palace defender, but it’s still too early to say where he will go.
“Palace players are always linked with moves away but it’s important to underline that Palace have to be respected and they want important money or they keep their stars. Chelsea had some contacts on the player side 15 days ago, but again, no concrete negotiations or anything advanced.”
Crystal Palace value Guehi at £60m – according to the Daily Mail.
Now – however – we presume that a deal for the England international is no longer on the agenda for Chelsea.
Disasi’s arrival represents a significant financial investment for Chelsea, and it also means Mauricio Pochettino now has Thiago Silva, Levi Colwill, Benoit Badiashile, Trevoh Chalobah and Wesley Fofana in his centre-back department.
Of course, the latter is injured after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament, but Chelsea must still be wary of blocking the France international’s pathway for when he returns.
Pochettino also typically lines up with two central defenders rather than three, meaning there will be fewer opportunities for those central defenders on the fringes of the starting XI.
As a result, we believe it is now highly unlikely that Chelsea make a move to sign Guehi as well, despite holding talks about bringing the 23-year-old back to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea would make millions if Crystal Palace sold Marc Guehi
On the topic of Guehi, Chelsea could actually make millions if Crystal Palace sell the centre-back this summer.
According to the Daily Mail, the Blues negotiated a 20% sell-on clause in the deal which saw Guehi move to Selhurst Park.
Therefore, if the south Londoners sell their No.6 for the £60m they are demanding, Chelsea would receive a welcome £12m cash injection.