Chelsea are set for a huge benefit from Marc Guehi’s transfer to Manchester City. The Crystal Palace captain is on the verge of linking up with Pep Guardiola at the Etihad for the second half of the season and beyond, as the Cityzens look to close the gap to Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table. The Gunners are six points clear of their nearest challengers, who are suffering a defensive injury crisis.
Chelsea cash in on Guehi clause
The West London club are set to benefit financially from Guehi’s impending move to City, having included a sell-on clause when the defender joined Crystal Palace in 2021. The 25-year-old centre-back will complete his move to the Etihad Stadium in the coming days, with the Manchester club agreeing a £20m fee to secure his services. As part of the original deal that took Guehi from Stamford Bridge to Selhurst Park, Chelsea inserted a clause entitling them to 20% of any future transfer fee.
That provision means Chelsea are due to receive around £4m once the transfer is finalised, more than four years after Guehi left the club. City identified the England international as a priority target and moved to secure him mid-season, keen to avoid competition should he have entered the final stages of his contract. Palace head coach Oliver Glasner has also indicated the deal is nearing completion, confirming Guehi will not feature in their next match. A double blow for Eagles fans after the Austrian announced he would also be departing the club in the summer.
Glasner confirms captain’s departure
Speaking in a bombshell interview on Friday, Glasner said: “My latest understanding is the deal for Marc is in the final stages,” Glasner said. “I cannot confirm the club’s latest. It’s not done. But the result is Marc doesn’t play tomorrow for us. Every player, depending on their contract situation, there is a price where the club say they want to do it. When a player says they want to move, a deal happens. It looks like it happens now.”
That was not the only bad news delivered by Glasner, though, as he announced his desire for a new challenge. He added: “A decision has already been taken, months ago. I had a meeting with Steve [Parish] in October, the worldwide break. We had a really lengthy speak, and I instructed him I can’t signal a brand new contract. We agreed on the time it was the most effective to maintain it between us. It is the most effective that we may try this and preserve it confidential for 3 months. However now it is essential to have readability, and we had a really busy schedule in order that’s why we did not wish to discuss it. Steve and I need the most effective for Crystal Palace.”
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Guehi’s parting reward to Chelsea
Guehi got here by means of Chelsea’s academy however made solely two senior appearances for the membership. After a mortgage spell at Swansea Metropolis, he was bought to Palace, the place he established himself as captain and one of many Premier League’s most dependable defenders. The extra earnings is a lift for Chelsea, whose head coach Liam Rosenior lately signed a long-term contract working till 2032 following his appointment as Enzo Maresca’s successor. The additional finance would be the final hyperlink between the centre-back and the Premier League membership, who all the time had half a watch on bringing the England worldwide again to Stamford Bridge.
Defensive reinforcements essential for Guardiola
Guehi’s transfer to Metropolis is ready to be introduced within the coming days to supply some much-needed reduction for Guardiola heading into the second half of the marketing campaign. The likes of John Stones, Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol are all at present lacking for the membership and never set to return anytime quickly. The switch represents an enormous step up for Guehi, who was on the verge of becoming a member of Liverpool on the finish of the summer season switch window. With Metropolis paying half of what the Reds have been keen to fork out, they may really feel the deal is a discount, regardless of Guehi being within the ultimate 12 months of his contract and being obtainable as a free agent in the summertime.
