Chelsea appear to be on the hunt to bring in a new defensive option during the January transfer window.
Chelsea has been linked with several defenders already this month as they aim to reinforce their backline, which makes sense because Blues centre-half Wesley Fofana may be injured until the summer.
Crystal Palace and England defender Marc Guehi, 24, is one individual heavily linked with a potential move to Stamford Bridge. Incidentally, the centre-back previously came through the Chelsea academy before being sold to Palace in 2021, so will a return to West London now be on the cards?
Chelsea has been seriously considering Guehi, who’s entering the final 18 months of his contract at Selhurst Park. Now, it turns out that Enzo Maresca’s side has ramped up their interest.
Chelsea’s first offer for Marc Guehi falls way short, they’ll bid again
According to The Sun, Crystal Palace are set to turn down Chelsea’s opening bid to sign £55m-rated Guehi in January.
It is explained that the Blues’ ‘cheeky bid’ to re-sign the central defender is way short of Palace’s expectations, so they’ll knock it back.
The report adds that Chelsea will respond by increasing their offer and trying again to sign the 24-year-old Premier League star before the close of the mid-season window.
Chelsea boss Maresca really likes Palace’s Guehi, so any transfer deal for him is one he’s likely to approve of.
Marc Guehi vs Levi Colwill
If the Blues do sign Guehi, he would arrive to partner 21-year-old Levi Colwill in the heart of Chelsea’s defence. It’s worth pointing out that Palace’s right-footed centre-back usually plays on the left side of a pairing, but he’s played on the right before and would surely slot into that role next to left-footer Colwill.
Here is a look at how Guehi and Colwill compare in the Premier League so far this season:
| Player | Appearances | Goals | Passes completed | Tackles won | Blocks | Interceptions | Clearances | Yellow cards |
| Marc Guehi | 19 | 2 | 836 | 16 | 36 | 10 | 92 | 5 |
| Levi Colwill | 19 | 0 | 1329 | 12 | 24 | 21 | 63 | 5 |
Danny Murphy rates Guehi over Colwill as players, but there’s a good chance they could both be the future of the national side’s defence. Could they form a partnership at club level with Chelsea, too?
It’s got the potential to be a formidable defensive combination with a real mixture of pace, power and technique.
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