30 October 2023 , 14:33
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Arsenal are keeping tabs on a move for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi next summer – with Chelsea entitled to 25 per cent of any transfer.
Guehi joined Palace in an £18million move in 2021 after 18 months on loan at Swansea from Chelsea. He has impressed in his two seasons at Selhurst Park and subsequently become part of the senior setup for the England national team.
The central defender spent 14 years on the books of the Blues and the club negotiated a 25 per cent sell-on clause when transferring him to Palace. That may well net them upwards of £13million in the coming seasons with a growing number of clubs monitoring a future move.
The Gunners are credited with the biggest interest with the Sun outlining they are considering a move for the defender next summer. The defender is likely to command a transfer fee upwards of £55m, with Palace wary they will not be entitled to a chunk of that.
Manchester City and Manchester United are two other clubs who are admirers of the defender, although it is believed that Arteta is driving Arsenal’s interest – and they are in the lead for any future move as things stand. The Gunners are keen to find a long-term central defensive partner for William Saliba in the heart of their backline.
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Palace boss Roy Hodgson lauded Guehi at the end of last campaign and tipped him as a possible future England captain: “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. Lets see how long that lasts. Lets see when his first England matches take place and go on from there.
“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. He is anxious to become better all the time. He’s not satisfied with making the leap he has made since leaving Chelsea. He wants more than that. That’s a big positive that speaks in his favour.”
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Guehi has impressed for Palace since joining in 2021 (Getty Images)Hodgson added: “Just in general terms he looks like a centre-back who has got a lot of qualities – he’s got pace, he understands and likes to defend. He is good on the ball. If you’re ticking boxes of what I like my centre-back to look like, he ticks so many boxes. Now it is up to him, with the help he’ll get from the guys around him, to keep building on that.
“His first couple of seasons at Crystal Palace have been a massive success. He’s got to keep that going and hope to even keep adding a little bit more each year. The first thing he has got to do is help save us from relegation and then maybe think ‘how do I go from being in the England set-up as a member of the group, how do I go about getting in the team and knocking one of those guys off their perch?’ That should be his target.”