Chelsea could be set for a financial boost this summer, should Arsenal's reported interest in Marc Guehi result in a transfer for the Crystal Palace defender.
Arsenal are linked to defensive reinforcements this summer, with injuries to William Saliba and Takehiro Tomiyasu having had an impact on the title race. One big name in the frame has emerged as England international Guehi, with the former Chelsea academy product impressing over the past two seasons he's spent at Palace.
Earlier this week, Mirror Football reported that the Gunners are interested in the 22-year-old, with his asking price set to be in the region of £50 million. However, they could face handing London rivals Chelsea a financial boost with any transfer due to a 25 per cent sell-on clause inserted into the then 20-year-old's contract when he made an £18 million move to Palace in 2021.
The potential £50 million fee has been reported by the Evening Standard as the benchmark for such sales by Palace following the sale of Aaron Wan-Bissaka to Manchester United for the same price in 2019. This could bring a windfall of roughly £12.5 million to Chelsea, although this is subject to change due to additional fees and other expenses involved in multi-million pound transfers.
However, it might be a drawback which the Gunners are willing to accept, with the potential of bringing in a player who has been touted as a future England captain by his current manager and former Three Lions boss, Roy Hodgson. The pair have been working together in the past month, with Hodgson's arrival securing Palace's Premier League safety for another season.
Hodgson made the comments after Palace beat Leeds 5-1 during Hodgson's first match in charge before he later withdrew the statement, but reiterated his praise for the player, saying: “I was England manager for four years and it used to drive me crazy when managers gave their players an extra pat on the back by saying they should play for England.
“It would not surprise me, with the guy’s quality. But let’s just let him play football first and continue being a top, top Premier League player at Crystal Palace. Let’s see how long that lasts. Lets see when his first England matches take place and go on from there.
“I’m sorry Marc, I shouldn’t have given you that little pat on the back which I gave, by suggesting England captaincy!" He added. “His maturity has impressed me. It did when he was (on loan) at Swansea and we were hoping we could sign him. Doug (Freedman) and I were watching him. He’s an intelligent player who thinks a lot about his game.”
It could be a busy summer for Arsenal, with another player tipped for future England captaincy, Declan Rice, also being linked with a move as Mikel Arteta seeks to strengthen his squad ahead of another Premier League title tilt.
There are likely to be even more additions this summer, with another England star, Mason Mount, also being linked as Sporting Director Edu and Arteta look to prepare their squad for a return to the Champions League.
