Chelsea will have to pay more than £70m for rock solid defender – but could get a sneaky discount

One of the interesting things that Fabrizio Romano reported on his internet TV show was that Chelsea were looking at defenders towards the end of the summer window, but weren’t able to get a deal over the line for anyone at a solid price.

We’re not that surprised – patience is pretty thin for Benoit Badiashile and Axel Disasi, Wesley Fofana’s fitness still isn’t certain, Tosin Adarabioyo doesn’t look like he’s ever going to be world class. It certainly makes sense to be watching and waiting for a great opportunity to come up.

According to CaughtOffside, the Blues could yet find that opportunity in a player they themselves let go not long ago.

Marc Guehi has gone from strength to strength since leaving the club in 2021, and this summer reached a new level, starring for England at the Euros. This led to huge interest from Newcastle, right up until the deadline, but they couldn’t get a deal done.

That could give Chelsea a fresh chance to bring the old boy home.

Chelsea handed a second chance

The problem is the price that Crystal Palace are asking. It was enough to put off Newcastle, but Chelsea may have a trick up their sleeve in that department. They reportedly have a sell on fee as part of the deal that took Guehi to Palace. That is effectively subtracted from whatever they pay for him.

Still – Newcastle reportedly had a £70m bid turned down, so Chelsea would need to beat that to even start a conversation. If we manage to shift Badiashile or Disasi without too much of a loss, then something might come together. It’s still a long way off, but the Magpies’ failure has opened the door. Moves like this will need us back in the Champions League however.