The summer transfer window is only a couple of months away from officially opening up for business and Chelsea have already begun work on bolstering their squad.
It was recently reported that the Blues have made contact with Bournemouth star Dean Huijsen’s representatives ahead of a summer deal for the Spain international.
Chelsea are one of a number of teams interested in signing the 20-year-old enforcer, who reportedly has a release clause worth £50m in his current contract at the Vitality Stadium.
The London giants, however, are now reportedly preparing a bid for another centre-back who would be even better than Huijsen at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea plot bid for Premier League defender
According to the Mirror, Chelsea are prepared to bid for Crystal Palace central defender Marc Guehi in the upcoming summer transfer window.
The report claims that the Blues want to sign the England international and are ‘ready’ to offer £50m and Trevoh Chalobah in exchange for the Eagles colossus.
It reveals that Palace would be willing to take Chalobah, who they had on loan in the first half of the season, as part of a deal for Guehi and that they value their star defender at £70m, making £50m and the current Chelsea centre-back a tempting offer.
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If a deal can be ironed out for the English ace, Enzo Maresca could have an even better signing than Huijsen on his hands in that area of the pitch.
Why Marc Guehi would be an even better signing than Dean Huijsen
Guehi is a Chelsea academy graduate who already knows the club and has come up through the ranks, with players like Reece James, and that could help him to settle in quicker than the Bournemouth ace.
He is also a homegrown talent who would help towards the quota of English academy stars needed for Premier League and European competitions.
The 24-year-old star’s performances in the Premier League in comparison to Huijsen’s this season also suggest that he could be an even better signing in the immediate future.
Guehi’s out-and-out defending as a centre-back in the top-flight is impressive and could make him an excellent addition to the Chelsea squad, as a proven defender at that level.
|
24/25 Premier League |
Marc Guehi |
Dean Huijsen |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
29 |
25 |
|
Tackles + interceptions per game |
2.7 |
3.0 |
|
Ball recoveries per game |
4.4 |
3.5 |
|
Duels won per game |
5.2 |
4.0 |
|
Duel success rate |
62% |
57% |
|
Error led to goal |
0 |
1 |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
||
As you can see in the table above, the Palace skipper has outperformed Huijsen in a host of key defensive metrics, without making as many big errors.
This suggests that the former Blues academy graduate could be more effective at preventing opposition teams from creating chances against the team, by making more recoveries and clearances, whilst also winning a higher percentage of his individual duels.
When you couple this with the fact that Guehi, once dubbed “incredible” by reporter Stuart James, could hit the ground running by returning to the club he has already played for, Maresca could be better off signing the Eagles star instead of splashing £50m on the Spanish titan.
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Therefore, this £50m-plus-Chalobah deal for the English titan could be a terrific piece of business by the Blues if they can get a deal over the line in the upcoming summer transfer window.
