Chelsea have transfer edge over ‘absolute gem’ wanted by Newcastle United, Tottenham and Liverpool

Chelsea and Newcastle United are set to battle it out in the summer transfer for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi.

Guehi, 24, is regarded as one of the best defenders outside of the traditional top-six clubs and with his deal expiring in 2026; he could well leave this summer.

Plenty of clubs are in the market for an experienced defender with Chelsea needing to add some steel to their young side while Newcastle have been due an upgrade in that position for some time.

For Chelsea, however, making a move for their former academy graduate would be a clear indication that they may have made a mistake in the past, though they have resigned players before such as Romelu Lukaku.

According to The Mirror, Chelsea are determined to sign the Palace defender and hold an edge over any club wishing to sign him because the club inserted a clause in his contract with Palace when they sold him in 2021, that will allow them to match any offer from another club.

Newcastle chased him last summer, seeing multiple bids knocked back before running out of time.

However, some reports in January suggested that a lower fee of around £40million would be enough for the club to part ways with his contract set to fall into the final year at the end of the current season.

Tottenham, Manchester United and Liverpool have also been linked and there may well be a queue for the defender this summer with most of the interested sides likely to be in the market for a centre-back for one reason or another.

His quality performances for England at Eur0 2024 proved he is ready to step up for a top club and, at 24, he is already performing at a level that will only improve as he becomes more experienced in European football.

Former Rangers boss Michael Beale even went as far as to say he is an ‘absolute gem‘ of a player with a big future.

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Where would Guehi go?

Given Chelsea are his former employers, he may be hesitant to return but he would likely be walking into a starting role, given the indifferent form of Levi Colwill, Tosin Adarabioyo and Axel Disasi and the frequent injuries suffered by Wesley Fofana.

He also played with Trevoh Chalobah at Palace in the first half of the season and he would be a welcome addition given he has made 122 Premier League appearances, nearly double that of Colwill and Fofana.

At Newcastle, he would also be a key starter and could form a deadly partnership with the left-footed Sven Botman. Yet, it can be argued Chelsea is heading in a more positive direction with their financial backing and youth-orientated squad.

Man United, also interested, was once a great avenue for any player but, with his career stock at an all-time high, leaving for a firefight at Old Trafford is far less appealing. Tottenham, another club struggling, are also in the fight for his signature.