Arteta sanctions stunning £60m Arsenal raid on Crystal Palace for star Pochettino would love at Chelsea
Marc Guehi is a target for Mikel Arteta
Arsenal are considering an approach to sign Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi before the transfer window closes, as Mikel Arteta looks to find solid cover for crocked star Jurrien Timber.
The Gunners have invested heavily this summer after pumping well over £200m into their squad. Declan Rice’s impact has already been felt at Arsenal, while Kai Havertz and Timber have also arrived for sizeable sums. Goalkeeper David Raya, who signed on loan with an option to buy, has also been drafted in.
But the likely season-ending injury suffered by Timber on debut has already left in tatters Arteta’s plans for the season. Indeed, Timber’s flexibility to play across the backline leaves Arteta with something of a problem to fix in the closing week of the window.
To that end, Arsenal has been linked with a number of potential options who could fill that void.
And with Kieran Tierney departing this weekend, joining Real Sociedad on a season-long loan, and with an exit also imminent for Rob Holding, Arteta looks likely to step up that hunt for reinforcements.
However, Arsenal have already missed out on one target with Benjamin Pavard on the cusp of sealing a move to Inter Milan. Another link in Torino’s Perr Schuurs looks unlikely to be followed up upon either, with Arteta’s gaze seemingly now fixed elsewhere.
Now, according to transfer journalist Dean Jones, Arsenal are strongly considering a late window approach to Crystal Palace for Guehi.
The England defender has emerged as one of the Premier League’s most accomplished centre-halves since moving to Selhurst Park for £18m in July 2021.
Arsenal considering Marc Guehi transfer approach
One of the first names on the Eagles’ teamsheet, the 24-year-old Ivory Coast-born star has also earned international recognition with four caps for England, the country that has been his home since the age of one.
Any approach from Arsenal, however, would not come cheap. Palace rate the star highly and responded with a £60m valuation when Chelsea came calling earlier this summer.
That price ultimately forced Chelsea to look elsewhere, with co-owner Todd Boehly not wanting to pay big for a player who was ultimately on the club’s books just two years earlier.
That news came as a disappointment to Mauricio Pochettino, who is reportedly a huge admirer of the player. And as a result, Chelsea decided instead to sign Axel Disasi, paying Monaco €45m (£38.7m) for the France international.
Now, according to Jones, Arsenal are plotting a move to sign Guehi of their own, though any move will likely prove difficult to pull off.
Speaking to Givemesport, Jones said: “The Marc Guehi interest has been there for a while. I don’t know that it necessarily would combine well with any interest from Takehiro Tomiyasu from Palace because Palace have no intention to lose Guehi and value him very, very highly.
“Earlier in the window I was being told of a £60m valuation on him and to be honest at this stage of the window it has probably risen. Guehi himself would even have reservations about how he fits in with Gabriel, William Saliba, Ben White and Jurrien Timber over the course of the season.
“He definitely needs regular game time to get into the England squad and won’t want to be fighting for his spot on a weekly basis, even at a big club like that.”
Per reports, Arteta has seemingly given Arsenal the green light to try and prise Guehi away from Selhurst Park. However, as Jones touches upon, his arrival will prove extremely difficult to pull off with Palace likely to be reluctant to sell and the player needing to be convinced of his role at Emirates Stadium.
