Crystal Palace prepare £35m Chelsea transfer amid Marc Guehi uncertainty

Crystal Palace are said to be battling to sign a Chelsea player ahead of Friday night’s transfer deadline. The Eagles have not been too busy this summer, leaving some fans worried heading into the final days of the window.

With Michael Olise having left for Bayern Munich and Joachim Anderson joining rivals Fulham, there is also plenty of talk of Marc Huehi joining Newcastle United on a £65million deal. Chadi Riad, Daichi Kamada and Ismaïla Sarr have been the first-team signings, and there is a clear feeling that the Eagles’ squad has been weakened, and that feeling will be compounded should Guehi move on.

New signings are likely, though, with centre-back Maxence Lacroix incoming from Wolfsburg, while a proven striker in Eddie Nketiah is likely to arrive from Arsenal. There business may not end there, with Palace seemingly making provisions in case the Guehi deal goes through.

Chelsea outcast Trevoh Chalobah is an option, with the Eagles prepared to make a move according to The Daily Mail. Chalobah was a key part of Chelsea’s revival last season but has been cast aside by Enzo Maresca, now training with the club’s ‘bomb squad’. There have been reports that Chelsea will ask for between £30million and £35million for Chalobah, but that price may come down late in the window, especially given Chelsea’s need to offload the centre-back.

Palace may be banking on that, even if they do have the Guehi money to spent, with £18million being committed to the signing of Lacroix. Liverpool’s Joe Gomez has also been mooted as a possible Guehi replacement.

Chalobah’s situation

Chalobah will have been expecting to play a key role this season after becoming an important player under Mauricio Pochettino, but he was surprisingly left out of Chelsea’s pre-season tour in the US.

“First of all, from my point of view, it’s always sad to leave players out, that can be out of a pre-season, or can be out of the squad or out of the first eleven because in the end they all work for the same target, that is to be part of the same team.,” Maresca said of the decision.

“First of all, from my point of view, it’s always sad to leave players out, that can be out of a pre-season, or can be out of the squad or out of the first eleven because in the end they all work for the same target, that is to be part of the same team. It’s a sad decision but we have to take the decision.”

The 28-year-old is under contract until 2028 but now looks set to depart Stamford Bridge.