Chelsea opted against re-signing their former defender Marc Guehi this month in order to focus on other defensive targets.
Guehi sealed a move to Manchester City this week, leaving Crystal Palace where he had just six months left on his contract for a fee of £20million.
The England international has been one of the most sought-after defenders in the country for a number of years with Newcastle United failing with four bids to sign him in 2024. Liverpool were on the cusp of signing him last summer only for the deal to fall through at the very last minute while Arsenal are also long-term admirers.
Guehi is one 17 former Chelsea youngsters playing in the Premier League with the club’s academy a rich source of talent.
He made just two senior appearances before excelling during his 18 months on loan at Swansea City, form that prompted Palace to pay £18million to sign him in the summer of 2021.
Chelsea are in the market for another centre-half this month having lost another academy graduate in Levi Colwill to an anterior cruciate ligament injury in August.
The Blues however are in talks to sign Rennes defender Jeremy Jacquet having already agreed personal terms with the France Under-21 international. Manchester United and Arsenal are also interested in Jacquet but Chelsea appear to have won the race for his signature.
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While Guehi was available for a modest £20m transfer fee, a return to Stamford Bridge was not seen as a possibility by Chelsea officials due to other considerable costs involved in the deal, The Athletic report.
Reports claim Guehi becomes one of City’s top earners with a salary of around £300,000-a-week.
The report also claimed that while Chelsea respect Guehi as a player, the club are looking for a defender with ‘different attributes’.
Former Chelsea midfielder Jody Morris was among those desperate to see Guehi return to west London, joking the 25-year-old is ‘too old’ given the club’s transfer policy.
But Morris recently suggested interest from Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool meant Chelsea ‘were never in the conversation’.
‘Marc Guehi is a no-brainer for the top teams. I don’t think we get him. And he’s too old for Chelsea,’ he told Ace Odds.
‘He’s not too old for me. I would’ve bought Marc Guehi ages ago. In fact I wouldn’t have sold him. Maybe when he first came up, he was the right age.
‘In fairness, I know that Chelsea have been looking at him. Over the last few years, I know they’ve been looking at him. But if you’re Marc Guehi, at the moment, as much as I would love him at Chelsea – great kid, fantastic family, what a boy to have around the place, fantastic pro, great player – he ain’t going to Chelsea.
‘When you have the teams that are looking at him, where Chelsea are at the moment, and it kills me to say it, we are not in the conversation.’
