Chelsea are reportedly plotting a raid on Crystal Palace this month to help solve their injury crisis in defence.
With long-term injuries to both Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile, the Blues are currently short on options in central defence.
Head coach Enzo Maresca suggested after the weekend's 1-1 draw with Palace that he will search for replacements for the pair in the January transfer market.
"We will see if something is going to happen," he said.
According to multiple reports, Maresca has found his solution in the form of the Eagles' current centre-back pairing Trevoh Chalobah and Marc Guehi.
Chalobah is on a season-long loan at Selhurst Park from Chelsea, but according to the New York Times, could be recalled this month.
Meanwhile, Guehi, who came through Chelsea's academy but was sold to Palace for a fee of £18 million in 2021, could also return to Stamford Bridge.
Speaking with CaughtOffside on Monday, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano said that Guehi is a player that Chelsea "like" and that a January move for him "has already been discussed and considered internally."
"It could be a possibility," Romano said.
Romano added, however, that a deal for the England international could be difficult due to his price tag, which is believed to be £65 million.
"Chelsea still have to decide internally how much they want to spend to cover that position," he explained. “For sure, though, Guehi is appreciated, and he has 18 months left on his contract at Crystal Palace, so let’s see what Chelsea decide to do."
Oliver Glasner relaxed about potential departures
Eagles boss Oliver Glasner discussed the immediate futures of both Guehi and Chalobah at Selhurst Park over the weekend.
Asked whether he expects Guehi to stay at Palace past deadline day, the Austrian coach responded, according to the Standard: “I think so. No player from our squad came to me and said [they] want to leave."
“No one that played all the games, all the minutes, like Marc, and no one from the players who didn’t play so many minutes," he explained. "This is the most relevant part: what the player tells me.”
On the possibility of Chalobah going back to his parent club, Glasner said that he expects Chelsea have enough options as it is, but that he can't guarantee anything.
"I could see that there was [Axel] Disasi and Tosin [Adarabioyo] on the bench," said the 50-year-old after his side's draw with the Blues, according to BBC Sport. "I don't know if you need [more] if you play with two. I was just reading that Anselmino comes back so they have five."
"I don't know if they need eight," he said. "[But] I don't know what they are planning. Trevoh is doing very well for us and we are planning with him."
Should Chelsea call back Chalobah and re-sign Guehi?
Everything Chelsea says...
Re-signing Chalobah makes no sense. He was underwhelming last season under Mauricio Pochettino, and though he's doing well for Palace, it's not enough to suggest he's yet at the level required to play for Chelsea.
Adarabioyo is a fine option in central defence, while teenager Josh Acheampong was fantastic on his Premier League debut at the weekend. Those two alone should be enough to cover until Badiashile's projected return in February.
Signing Guehi, however, is a must, but not just now.
Since moving to Palace, he's established himself as one of the top flight's best central defenders, and also showed he can cut it on the international stage for England at Euro 2024. The Blues should break the bank to sign him, but wait until the summer so he can have a few months to settle back in at his old home and adapt to Maresca's style, rather and try and rush the process in January.
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