Antonio Conte to completely overhaul Tottenham position as Crystal Palace star eyed in double swoop
Marc Guehi and Ebere Eze celebrate Crystal Palace goal
Tottenham could completely change their centre-back ranks in the summer transfer window as they are looking at Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi alongside a defender from Europe, according to reports.
Guehi is a product of the Chelsea academy. He made his senior debut for the Blues in September 2019, though he would only play for them two times in total.
The defender had two loan spells at Swansea between January 2020 and May 2021. After impressing with the Championship club, Guehi will have been hoping to push for a starting spot at Chelsea in the 2021-22 season.
However, due to the strong defensive options already at the disposal of then-manager Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea opted to sell him.
Guehi joined fellow London side Palace. According to The Guardian, he cost Palace £18million when signing on a five-year contract.
The 22-year-old has continued to impress in a Palace shirt and often captains the side when usual skipper Luka Milivojevic is not in the starting eleven.
Guehi’s solid displays have seen him earn numerous call-ups to the England national team. He has played three teams under Gareth Southgate, although he did not quite make the squad for the World Cup in Qatar.
While Palace boss Patrick Vieira will be delighted with how he is developing, one negative about his performances is that other Premier League teams are taking note.
Tottenham hope to land Palace man
According to a report from the Evening Standard, Tottenham are interested in snapping up Guehi this summer.
Antonio Conte’s side have apparently been keeping tabs on him since his move from Chelsea to Palace in 2021. But concerns over two players have resulted in their pursuit heating up.
The first is a doubt surrounding current centre-back Davinson Sanchez. He has not impressed Conte and looks set to be sold come the end of the season.
Secondly, Clement Lenglet’s loan switch from Barcelona will end this summer. And once those two players leave, Guehi could arrive at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to plug the gap.
Unfortunately for Conte, he could face competition from his and Guehi’s former club Chelsea if he tries to sign the Ivory Coast-born star.
Chelsea could rival Spurs for Marc Guehi
Chelsea do not have a buy-back clause. Although, they do have one which means they can come in with a rival offer if Spurs open the bidding.
Graham Potter’s team also have a sell-on clause. This is described as ‘sizeable’ by the report, though it is unclear exactly how much it is worth.
Spurs have turned to Guehi after finding out RB Leipzig star Josko Gvardiol could cost in excess of £100million. Guehi will not come cheap, but he will certainly be available for transfer at less than that price.
And the Eagles man is not the only defender who could move to Spurs later this year. As per German source Bild, Conte wants to revamp his defensive options by landing Piero Hincapie too.
The Bayer Leverkusen man has been on Spurs’ watchlist for some time. But with the German club in ‘crisis’, they may be inclined to finally let him go in the summer.
