Ben Jacobs has provided some bad news regarding Tottenham’s pursuit of Marc Guehi, with the journalist explaining why the Lilywhites’ London rivals may hold the upper hand in the race.
It is well documented that Tottenham have been long-term admirers of Marc Guehi, with the Lilywhites even seeing a £70m offer for the defender turned down by Crystal Palace in the dying stages of the transfer window.
Spurs have been backed to return for Guehi in the summer, but they are expected to face competition from Chelsea, who are said to be keen on bringing their academy graduate back to the club.
In fact, just a few days ago, it emerged that Chelsea are confident of beating Spurs and other suitors to the Guehi in the summer.
Ben Jacobs provides Guehi to Chelsea transfer update
Jacobs has now confirmed that Spurs and Chelsea are among the clubs on the Palace man’s trail, revealing that Newcastle also cannot be ruled out of the race for the player.
However, he suggested that the Blues might have an advantage over other suitors as Guehi is open to returning to Stamford Bridge in the summer.
When asked about the evolving transfer race between Tottenham and Chelsea for Marc Guehi, Jacobs told GiveMeSport: “There will be other suitors. Of course, we shouldn’t discount Newcastle, who made a series of bids last summer – and Tottenham could return, even though Kevin Danso ended up joining.
“But I think the feeling is that Guehi knows Chelsea, obviously very well. He’s been there before, he’s open to that move, and I’m told he would ideally like to stay in London.
“So Chelsea can see value in the fee for Guehi, which has been deemed to be very inflated in previous windows. But if – because of his contractual situation – that fee drops to in and around £50million, I think that is a deal that Chelsea will return for. And if they can agree a fee with Palace, I think the player is open to returning to Stamford Bridge.”
Do Tottenham Hotspur still need Marc Guehi?
Given the manner in which Kevin Danso has hit the ground running since his arrival at N17, Ange Postecoglou is certainly not short of options in central defence right now.
It might not make sense to spend £50m-plus on another centre-back, who likely will not start if Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are fit.
The only way I can see Tottenham spending big on Guehi this summer is if they lose one of their current centre-backs, which is a possibility that cannot be ruled out, especially as Cristian Romero is stalling on signing a new Spurs contract.