Man Utd, Arsenal & Spurs in battle for ex-Chelsea defender

James Shearman

• Updated: 18 May 2023 22:17 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal are in the race to sign former Chelsea player Marc Guehi.

The Crystal Palace defender has impressed at Selhurst Park since leaving Stamford Bridge in 2021.

And now he is being linked with a move to three of the 'big six' clubs in the Premier League.

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Steve Kay previously reported for FootballTransfers that Tottenham were keen on a move for Guehi.

While Arsenal have been widely reported to want a centre-back in the summer, with the Palace man on their shortlist.

And, most recently, Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna says Man Utd could sign Guehi to replace Harry Maguire if the club captain leaves this summer.

Chelsea’s Guehi transfer clause

Signing Guehi will not be as straightforward as simply having an offer accepted by Crystal Palace because the Blues have a clause in his contract that means they have first refusal to sign him.

Chelsea do not have a straight buyback clause as they do in the case of Southampton full-back Tino Livramento, who they can buy for £38 million at any point they wish.

What they do have, though, is a formal agreement that kicks in this summer which means they have the option to match any transfer bid for Guehi that is accepted by Crystal Palace.

That means if any team is successful with an approach, they have the opportunity to match that bid and speak to the player, who they sold to Palace for €23m in 2021.