What Chelsea may need to do to win Marc Guehi race with defender ready to tell Crystal Palace his plans

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Chelsea are interested in signing Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi this summer, but they are not the only ones.

Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United are also thought to be keen on Guehi, so there could be a real scrap for him.

Chelsea believe they can beat Tottenham to Guehi’s signature, but both Spurs and Newcastle are unlikely to make things easy for them.

Guehi is one of Palace’s most important players, captaining the Eagles this season. But with his contract set to expire next year, they may have no choice but to sell him this summer.

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Chelsea could need top-four finish to land Marc Guehi

It is thought that Guehi is open to returning to Chelsea when the transfer window opens.

The Blues got rid of Guehi in 2021, selling the centre-back to Palace, but it does not look like that is an issue for him.

However, journalist Simon Phillips has claimed on Si Phillips Talks Chelsea that Guehi is keen to play in the Champions League and that Newcastle still have a strong interest in him.

It means the Blues may need to finish in the top four or five this season — fifth place could be enough to qualify for the Champions League — if they want to land Guehi.

If Newcastle qualify for Europe’s elite competition and Chelsea fail to, then the latter could have a problem.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	29	21	7	1	69	27	42	70
2	ArsenalArsenal	29	16	10	3	53	24	29	58
3	Nottm ForestNottingham Forest	29	16	6	7	49	35	14	54
4	ChelseaChelsea	29	14	7	8	53	37	16	49
5	Man CityManchester City	29	14	6	9	55	40	15	48
6	NewcastleNewcastle	28	14	5	9	47	38	9	47

There have been conflicting reports about Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen, with one journalist claiming that Chelsea are no longer in for Huijsen. But with other rumours suggesting otherwise, the 19-year-old could be an alternative to Guehi.

Marc Guehi’s plans

It remains to be seen what club Guehi chooses, but the England international looks almost certain to leave Selhurst Park after this season concludes.

In fact, it has been claimed that Guehi is ready to tell Palace he wants out amid all of the interest that is being shown in him.

And again, with his contract running down, Palace may have no choice but to grant his wish.