Chelsea set for January windfall as Newcastle 'ready to resurrect' £65m transfer

Chelsea could be set for a major January windfall with Newcastle ready to resurrect their interest in Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi. The 24-year-old came through the ranks at Cobham and made just two first-team appearances before leaving the club on a permanent deal in July 2021.

Guehi, who had spent 18 months on loan with Steve Cooper at Swansea, joined Palace for £18million and signed a five-year contract. As part of the deal, Chelsea had included sell-on incentives - reported to be 20 per cent of the profit Palace makes - and the right to match any offers made for Guehi in the future.

Since, Guehi has established himself as one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League. He starred for England at Euro 2024 over the summer and was linked with a blockbuster move to Newcastle. However, Palace rejected four offers, with the highest believed to be in the region of £65m, for the talented centre-back.

It meant that Guehi, who is set to enter the final 18 months of his contract, stayed put at Selhurst Park but he could now be set for a January departure. While there was talk of arranging a new deal when the summer transfer window closed, there has been no indication that Guehi is willing to extend his stay at Palace.

That could strengthen Newcastle's position in any January negotiations, with the Magpies expected to return to resurrect their interest. But according to the Northern Echo, Newcastle won't be returning with the same offer that was rejected in August as they feel that Guehi's value has decreased over the last three months due to his contractual position and his own form since the start of the season.

Regardless of that, Chelsea could get a healthy windfall from a potential deal with the Blues boasting a 20 per cent sell-on clause of any profit Palace make from the transfer. If Newcastle had paid £65m for Guehi in the summer, Chelsea would have received around £9.4m from the south London club.

It's unlikely that Chelsea will receive anywhere near that sum due to Guehi's diminishing value, but they could receive a decent amount if Newcastle come back in with a sizeable offer. The Magpies' need for a centre-back has increased over the last couple of months, with Fabian Schar and Dan Burn having started most of their Premier League matches together as a back two with Sven Botman still out.

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