Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly set to rival Manchester United in the race to sign England international centre-back Marc Guehi.
According to Spanish outlet Fichajes, Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United have all “set their sights” on Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, with the intention of securing his services in the upcoming January transfer window.
The Chelsea academy graduate has been impressive ever since signing for Palace in 2021, featuring in all but four of their 84 league games during that time. And his form has piqued the interest of England manager Gareth Southgate, who has started him in three of the Three Lions’ last five matches, including last month’s 3-1 win against Scotland.
The 23-year-old was heavily linked with a move away from Selhurst Park during the most recent summer window, where North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur were both said to have been keeping an eye on him.
However, with Guehi under contract at Palace until 2026, the Eagles asked for a hefty £60 million to let the centre-back leave, resulting in Arsenal and Spurs dropping their interest and opting to sign Jurrien Timber and Micky van de Ven instead, respectively. The Eagles’ resolve could be tested again next year, though, with Manchester United interested in acquiring his services in January.
Erik ten Hag has seemingly decided on defence as his priority for the January transfer window after seeing his defensive options decimated in recent months, with Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, Raphael Varane, Sergio Reguilon, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka all having picked up injuries.
It has left Manchester United particularly light in central defence, with veteran Jonny Evans and out-of-favour Harry Maguire featuring at the heart of the back four in recent weeks. Martinez will be out until the new year after his foot problem flared up, while Varane has also missed a couple of games this term through injury, though he is expected to be fit after the international break.
With Maguire and Evans’s futures at the club up in the air, a move for Guehi is extremely likely next year. However, they are not alone in their pursuit of Palace’s defensive star, with Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham also monitoring the England international.
Arsenal, for one, could use more depth in the defensive department, and Guehi would be a solid acquisition given he has the potential to develop into a top-class defender for most clubs. Spurs, meanwhile, are expected to be active in the transfer market again at the turn of the year, with another centre-back said to be one of the main priorities for Ange Postecoglou after sending Joe Rodon and Japhet Tanganga out on loan in the summer while shipping Davinson Sanchez off to Galatasaray.
As for Chelsea, they included a sell-on clause when letting Guehi go to Palace in July 2021, and that clause is worth 25 percent. However, it seems Todd Boehly & co. are considering making an approach to re-signing him to reinforce Mauricio Pochettino’s central defensive department amid Wesley Fofana’s consistent injury problems and Trevoh Chalobah being up for sale.
