Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca says he “likes” Marc Guehi after speculation linking the Blues with the Crystal Palace defender.
Reports this week have suggested Chelsea will make an attempt to re-sign Guehi, who has impressed since trading Stamford Bridge for Selhurst Park in 2021.
The Blues are likely to make signing a centre-back a priority during the winter window with Wesley Fofana facing a battle to return this season due to a hamstring injury.
Asked about their pursuit of the 24-year-old ahead of their FA Cup third-round tie against Morecambe, Maresca said: “Only thing I can say is Guehi is a Palace player.
“I like Marc for sure, but he is not our player. I also like the central defenders we have. I also like central defenders in Italy, Spain, in France, but does not mean we are going to buy those players.
“Normal situation when you have central defender injury that speculation is there, but there is nothing.
On possibility of recalling Trevoh Chalobah from Palace to fill their centre-back void, Maresca added: “This is exactly the same. I have to give you the same answer. Trev is a good player, but also a Palace player, so we will see.”
“I like Marc Guehi but he’s not our player”
Enzo Maresca on Chelsea’s rumoured interest in defender Marc Guehi 🔵 pic.twitter.com/VX9WibilNe
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) January 10, 2025
📰 Table Of Contents
Maresca on Fofana earlier return claims
Despite Maresca previously suggesting Fofana could miss the rest of the 2024-25 campaign, the French defender quickly took to social media to say he is targeting a return to action by March.
On those claims, the Italian boss said: “We speak the same language in terms of way we communicate between each other in English and French. It has been quite clear.
“I speak with Wes about the 12-16 weeks the club mention to me, it is the situation. Wes is thinking he can recover sooner than that. We would all be happy if we could receive him for tomorrow, but we will see.
“There is no problem. I just say what the medical staff tell me. Wes is thinking he can recover quicker than that. We are all happy if Wes is back as soon as possible.”
Ben Chilwell future: Maresca expects left-back to leave
Maresca said it is likely some of fringe player will get a chance to impress against Morecambe, but the group that features on Saturday will not include left-back Ben Chilwell, who is set to leave the club.
The 44-year-old said: “Chilwell in this moment is also thinking he is probably going to leave, so it is better to avoid using him to avoid that situation of injury.
“So plan is not to use Ben tomorrow.”
Chelsea team news
Expanding further on Chelsea’s team news for the third-round clash, Maresca said: “Both [Romeo Lavia and Reece James] are available and can get some minutes for tomorrow’s game.
“The rest, apart from [Wesley] Fofana, [Benoit] Badiashile and Kiernan [Dewsbury-Hall], are all available.
