Chelsea face 'no brainer' Leeds United transfer decision for hat-trick hero - opinion

Chelsea and Leeds United have not been the best of friends since the famously gritty 1970 FA Cup final but could both scratch each other’s backs with a transfer move this summer.

Daniel Farke is looking to improve his squad following promotion to the Premier League and ensuring that the Yorkshire outfit have sources of goals next term is a priority. Leeds United have already added Lukas Nmecha from Wolfsburg to compete alongside Joel Piroe, Mateo Joseph and Patrick Bamford. However, they may not stop there.

Transfer specialist Graeme Bailey has claimed that the newly promoted side have shown an interest in Chelsea prodigy Marc Guiu. The 19-year-old only arrived from Barcelona last summer and has a big future ahead of him, but a temporary loan exit could be sanctioned.

Leeds United eye young Chelsea striker

Bailey told Leeds United News: “I think a loan signing is possible. Marc Guiu at Chelsea is one they’ve looked at as well. They will be doing a few bits. It’s still the middle of July and they’re not panicking.”

The Blues only paid £5.2 million for Guiu last year and he made a total of 16 appearances for Chelsea last season. He’s already gone a long way to proving his worth, registering six goals. Three of those came in a remarkable hat-trick during a 5-1 Europa Conference League win over Shamrock Rovers.

Guiu also bagged a brace against FC Astana and a goal against FC Noah. He was handed three Premier League cameos and also appeared twice at the Club World Cup.

Chelsea should green light Leeds United loan move

With those head-turning European performances, there’s no doubting Guiu’s potential. However, he needs game time to improve and it’s unlikely that he will get that at Chelsea. Speaking last season after that hat-trick, Blues manager Enzo Maresca said: “Marc is improving a lot, to be honest. He is doing fantastic. Day after day he is more ready for that kind of game.”

When asked about his gametime, Maresca added: “Sometimes the decision I take is because I see something. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s not. But Marc, day after day, is more ready.”

Chelsea have already added Liam Delap from Ipswich Town and Joao Pedro from Brighton to their ranks this summer, both who will be above Guiu in the pecking order. The young Spaniard mustn’t spend the season rotting on the bench.

Therefore, if Leeds United want to take the striker on loan, that’s a move that the London outfit should definitely sanction. You’d fancy Guiu to compete for a starting role against Nmecha, Piroe, Joseph and Bamford much more than against his colleagues at Chelsea - and should he come on leaps and bounds, it’s a win-win situation for the two historic rivals.

In other news, Chelsea player 'keen' to join European giants after 'direct contact' and honest Enzo Maresca verdict.