Enzo Maresca has given an update on Trevoh Chalobah's potential return to Chelsea.
The 25-year-old defender was a regular for the Blues at the back end of last seaosn, but was deemed surplus to requirements after Maresca took charge at Stamford Bridge in the summer and was shipped out on-loan to Crystal Palace.
At Selhurst Park, Chalobah is enjoying perhaps the best season of his career, starting 12 Premier League games for the Eagles and scoring an impressive three goals.
Chelsea, meanwhile, are struggling for options in central defence amid injuries to both Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile. Fofana is expected to miss the rest of the season having torn his hamstring, while Badiashile is set to be sidelined until at least February. The New York Times reported earlier this week that amid their injury crisis at the back, Chelsea could trigger their option to recall Chalobah in the January transfer window.
Ahead of his side's FA Cup third round clash with Morecambe on Saturday, Maresca was asked by a reporter if he plans to bring Chalobah back to the Bride this month.
"Trev is a good player but in this moment he is a Palace player, so we will see," he responded.
Maresca also spoke on the possibility of Chalobah's Palace teammate Marc Guehi making a sensational return to Chelsea this month.
Guehi came through Chelsea's academy, but made just two appearances for the club before being sold to Palace for a fee of £18 million in 2021.
Since the move, the 24-year-old has established himself as one of the Premier League's best central defenders, as well as a regular for England, playing a key role in their run to the final at last year's European Championships.
Fabrizio Romano reported this week that Chelsea are now keen to re-sign Guehi and that a January move for him "has already been discussed and considered internally."
Asked about those rumours, Maresca said: "The only thing I can say is Marc Guehi is a Palace player. I like Marc for sure but he is not our player."
"But I like also the central defenders we have," he added. "I also like different types of central defenders in Italy, Spain and France but that doesn't mean we are going to buy a player."
Palace boss Oliver Glasner also recently addressed Guehi's future, telling reporters that he expects him to stay at Selhurst Park for the rest of the season.
“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."
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