Chelsea legend Joe Cole believes his former club would be making the right decision to bring Marc Guehi back to Stamford Bridge.

The Blues are keen on re-signing the England international to strengthen their options in the centre of defence. Speaking to Paddy Power, Cole said that, while he doesn’t understand why the defender was sold in the first place, he would be a good addition to the squad:

“It’s so frustrating for Chelsea because they’ve sold someone like Marc Guehi, and he’s gone on to become a top centre half which I could see [at the time]. Guehi is a proper player and he’s in England’s starting lineup now and Chelsea are going to have to fork out to get him back. It’s an area that needs to be sorted out at Chelsea.”

“Some of the lads, like Axel Disasi, haven’t quite settled as much as the club would’ve liked. I like the links with Marc Guehi but it’s just frustrating that they need to go and buy players that they’ve sold – Chelsea do it far too often!”

“If needs must, and it’s the right move, you have to do it and I don’t think there’s a better centre-half in the country, outside of Manchester City and Arsenal, he’s as good as anything there is, and he will get better.”

Chelsea will have to pay a lot of money to re-sign the defender

Reports suggest that Enzo Maresca’s side may need to pay upwards of £70m to buy back Guehi, although some sources claim that the figure could be slightly lower (£55m).

It would still be a lot more than the £20m they received from Palace when they sold him in the summer of 2021. The absence of a buyback clause now looks like a mistake in hindsight.

The bid for Guehi will need to be funded through sales

Due to Palace’s sizeable demands, Chelsea are aware that they will have to raise money in order to fund their offer.

It is believed that they are open to selling up to six fringe players during the January transfer window. Read more about who could leave Stamford Bridge.

Find out who is in Chelsea’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here