CRYSTAL PALACE is on the verge of rejecting a 'foolish' bid from Chelsea for Marc Guehi worth £55m.
The injury-hit Blues have launched a bold bid to re-sign the defender they lashed to their London neighbors for £18m in 2021.
But the opening bid has fallen well below expectations for the England international and is likely to be rejected.
A source told Sun Sport: “Their offer was nowhere near a fair price. It was actually foolish and they need to offer more to even have any hope of a deal.” Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca recently suggested he is considering making a move into the transfer market this month to strengthen his backline, with a number of his key figures absent long-term.
Wesley Fofana could miss the rest of the season with a hamstring injury and defensive partner Benoit Badiashile is also sidelined for some time.
It led to Maresca handing teenage centre-back Josh Acheampong his first Premier League start against Guehi's Eagles on Saturday, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Maresca still has Levi Colwill, Tosin Adariabioyo and Axel Disasi on its books, but Chelsea will resume European competition with the Conference League in March and begin their FA Cup journey this weekend.
The Italian is also concerned about the nature of goals his young team are conceding, which has seen them drop from second to fourth in the Premier League.
Twice in the last three games they have conceded important goals late in the game.
He has already recalled defender Aaron Anselimino from a loan contract with Argentine side Boca Juniors.
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It was also thought likely that Chelsea would try to get Trevoh Chalobah back early from his season-long loan at Palace.
The 24-year-old Guehi is a key figure at the back for Eagles boss Oliver Glasner.
He was a constant target for Newcastle last summer but Palace were unwilling to let him go for £70million.
But there are now only 18 months left on his contract and his value has fallen accordingly.
He was one of England's best players at Euro 2024 when the national team reached the final.
Chelsea are expected to increase their bid as the January transfer window continues until February 3, although Maresca could sign new defenders as soon as possible.
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