Marc Guehi has been linked with a return to Chelsea this month. (Image: Getty.)
first offer to for has been described as “silly” as they attempt to bolster backline.
Guehi emerged as a January transfer target for the Blues after long-term injuries to Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile, with Maresca this month.
Not only has Guehi been a candidate to make the short journey back to Stamford Bridge from Selhurst Park as he continued to impress in the and for .
But there is an option to recall Trevoh Chalobah from his season-long loan at Palace, where he has been part of a formidable back three under Oliver Glasner alongside Guehi and Maxence Lacroix.
Guehi appears to be the first-choice target, however, having been sold by to Palace in 2021 for £18million.
claim that Maresca’s outfit launched a derisory first bid for Guehi which is set to be rejected out of hand by the Eagles.
It has fallen way below Palace’s valuation, having turned down bids valued at £70m from in the summer, with a source stating: “Their offer was a long way off being a fair price. It was silly really and they need to offer more to even have a hope of getting a deal done.”
Marc Guehi in action against Chelsea. (Image: Getty)
Any deal taking Guehi to is made more complicated by a sell-on clause of up to 20 per cent in his current contract.
would be entitled to up to a fifth of the transfer fee received if Guehi were to leave for one of their rivals, which should be reflected in any negotiations between the two London clubs.
Guehi’s stock rose dramatically at when he was one of England’s star performers en route to the final, though he has just 18 months left on his current contract and the 24-year-old’s value may soon start to diminish.
In August, Palace chairman Steve Parish publicly told and any other admirers of Guehi that they must pay “superstar money” in order for the club to part ways with their captain.
“Nobody has got to the valuation yet,” he told . “If you want a superstar player you need to pay superstar money.
“It’s not near the point where we have to make a decision. We love having him and would love to keep him. If someone else wants to have him they need to make it really difficult for us. He’s a generational talent.”
Maresca has since talked up Josh Acheampong after making his first league start alongside Levi Colwill against Crystal Palace, with the Italian boss also able to call upon Tosin Adarabioyo and Axel Disasi if a move for another centre-back does not materialise.