Exclusive: Shaun Wright-Phillips discusses Chelsea’s transfer policy
Chelsea are set to pay for another transfer mishap by having to fork out a significant fee to re-sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace. The defender is attracting plenty of interest from clubs in the Premier League and a bidding war for his services is anticipated at the end of the season.
Todd Boehly has forked out over £1billion on rebuilding Chelsea since his arrival, with a focus on signing young players that can provide stability in the short term and develop into world-class stars in the future. However, he is yet to reap the benefits of the approach.
Instead, Mauricio Pochettino’s side sits in 11th place in the Premier League and will need to improve markedly if they are to secure European football for next season. The Blues look disjointed and lacking in several key departments, including defence.
Despite signing Wesley Fofana, Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile over the past few years and having academy products – such as Levi Colwill – in the mix, Chelsea are keen to sign a centre-back as soon as possible. Several players around Europe have been linked with making the move to Stamford Bridge, though a familiar face could be set to return in 2024.
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According to The Sun, the Blues are in the race to sign Palace star Guehi and are expected to make a push for the England international when the campaign concludes. Chelsea sold the 23-year-old to the Eagles in 2021 for just £18million, and he has developed into a top player since.
A fee of £75m is therefore expected to be required to test the resolve of Palace, and the Selhurst Park outfit are confident that they will be able to attract such a fee given the number of clubs interested in acquiring the services of their No 6.
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Arsenal are also in the race to sign Guehi and view him as a top player who can settle into their backline in the future, though Mikel Arteta is content with waiting until the end of the season before tabling an offer.
Manchester City and Manchester United also have the centre-back on their shortlist of potential targets, further highlighting the significance of Chelsea’s mistake in allowing their academy graduate to depart rather than giving him an opportunity in the Premier League. The Blues are able to match any bid that is accepted for Guehi – otherwise known as having first refusal – but a mammoth fee could prompt Pochettino and Boehly to look elsewhere.
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