Chelsea have now asked one of their transfer targets to push for a move to Stamford Bridge this month as they look to bring his price tag down before the end of the January transfer window, according to a fresh report.
Chelsea transfer news
Chelsea are expected to be busy this January, but Enzo Maresca’s side are set for exits before they agree any deals for fresh faces in west London. The Blues have a host of players seemingly set to leave in the weeks ahead, with Ben Chilwell at the head of the queue. Speaking last week, Maresca confirmed that he was free to leave the club after being frozen out of the Premier League squad since the summer.
“For him (Chilwell), in this moment, is also thinking he is probably going to leave,” he explained when asked why Chilwell wasn’t featuring against Morecambe in the FA Cup.
Another player free to leave is Carney Chukwuemeka, who is attracting interest from Borussia Dortmund and could now leave Stamford Bridge on loan in the weeks before the end of the transfer window having failed to make an appearance in the Premier League this campaign.
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Meanwhile Cesare Casadei has been strongly linked with a return to Italy and, like Chukwuemeka, could leave in the coming weeks, though his move may be permanent.
Another player who could depart permanently is Renato Veiga, who is also attracting attention from Borussia Dortmund and is keen to move away from west London in search for regular minutes at centre-back, having been played at left-back and in midfielder under Maresca to date.
However, amid the significant exits, Chelsea are still hoping to strengthen, and have now asked their no.1 transfer target to agitate for a move.
Chelsea ask "tank" to push for January move
That comes according to Simon Phillips [via Caught Offside], who reports that Chelsea are “stepping up their efforts” to sign Marc Guehi in the second half of the January transfer window, and have asked the defender “to push for his current employers to let him go” in a bid to make him a more affordable option.
As things stand, Guehi’s £50,000 a week contract at Selhurst Park expires in 18 months, and he has shown little desire to sign a new deal with Oliver Glasner’s side. Chelsea, however, would like to bring him back to Stamford Bridge after selling him to the Eagles in 2021, where he has since impressed enough to become a regular for England.
Appearances
19
Goals
2
Yellow Cards
5
Tackles and interceptions per 90
2.21
Pass Accuracy
83.2%
However, any club looking to sign him have been warned off the centre-back by a reported £70m price tag, which has had the desired effect. To get around that, it is reported that Chelsea have been “holding internal talks about the situation” and have reached out to Guehi to ask him to push for a move back to west London, in a bid to lower his price tag.
Dubbed an “absolute tank” by his former England U21 teammate Josef Bursik, Guehi is able to play on either side of defence, which would provide some welcome cover for Maresca’s side given their issues at the back.
Should they fail to land Guehi though, the Blues are also looking at alternative options. They could still recall Trevoh Chalobah from his loan spell at Selhurst Park, where he is impressing alongside their primary target.
Meanwhile, another report claims that the Blues also had scouts attend the Taca de Liga final between Benfica and Sporting CP in order to evaluate a trio of centre-back targets in the shape of Goncalo Inacio, Tomas Araujo and Ousmane Diomande. However, they very much appear to be plan B as things stand.
