Chelsea are poised to delve into the January transfer market for a new central defender. Enzo Maresca has been grappling with a spate of absences in his defensive line-up, with Levi Colwill sidelined due to injury and Wesley Fofana and Tosin Adarabioyo both struggling for fitness.
Trevoh Chalobah’s recent dismissal against Brighton, which resulted in a one-match Premier League suspension, further underscored the team’s defensive deficiencies. Maresca had expressed interest in bolstering his defence during the summer transfer window, with Barcelona’s Ronald Araujo and Nottingham Forest’s Murillo among the potential targets.
However, a move for Marc Guehi, who is out of contract next summer, is off the table.
Despite the defender being held in high regard by Maresca, he will not return to his former club with Liverpool and several other European clubs showing interest.
It has been reported that Guehi would be eager to join Real Madrid, should the Spanish giants come calling for his signature.
Liverpool, meanwhile, could revive their pursuit of the England international after they agreed a deal in the summer, only for Crystal Palace to withdraw at the eleventh hour.
Maresca confirmed earlier this year that he was a fan of Guehi, though it seems he will not be sanctioning a move for the 25-year-old in January.
Speaking last season, the Chelsea boss said: “The only thing I can say is Marc Guehi is a Palace player. I like Marc for sure, but he is not our player.
“I also like the centre-halves we have and I like different central defenders in Italy, Spain and France but that doesn’t mean we are going to buy the player.
“It is a normal situation when you have these central defender injuries that there’s speculation there. There’s nothing there.”
Chelsea have been among the Premier League’s biggest spenders in recent seasons, but it remains to be seen how they will approach the January market in their search for a new central defender.
