Chelsea willing to accept huge transfer mistake and re-sign academy star: report

Chelsea are renowned for producing high-quality players from their youth academy and shipping them off to other clubs in England and abroad, but they might be about to admit selling one of them was a mistake.

Youth products Mason Mount and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have already been sold by Chelsea this summer, joining a number of former Blues in departing the club.

While Moises Caicedo remains the priority signing for Mauricio Pochettino in midfield, Chelsea have also been forced to address their central defence situation following the news that Wesley Fofana has suffered another serious knee injury.

With Kalidou Koulibaly already sold, Chelsea are now left with Thiago Silva, Benoit Badiashile, Levi Colwill and Trevoh Chalobah at centre-back, and Pochettino is demanding more options. Harry Maguire from Manchester United has been touted, though looks unlikely.

Instead, Chelsea could look to bring old academy product Marc Guehi back to Stamford Bridge, according to The Guardian. The Blues sold Guehi to Crystal Palace for £18m just two years ago, but he has flourished in south London in that time, earning a call-up to the England squad and being named the Palace captain on multiple occasions. 

The 23-year-old has been the subject of interest from both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur in the last year, but The Guardian suggests that Chelsea have Guehi at the top of their shortlist, should they decide to make a move to replace the injured Fofana. 

Guehi played just two EFL Cup games for Chelsea during his time at the club as a professional, spending the majority of his time either in the U23 side or on loan at Swansea, before being sold permanently. 

Chelsea will have to admit to making a mistake in the market, though, with Guehi now worth £30m on Transfermarkt. It is likely Palace will want a lot more than that, however, because Guehi still has three years remaining on his contract at Selhurst Park.

Indeed, reports have suggested Palace want at least £50m for the England international, with £60m often quoted. With Caicedo expected to cost in the region of £80m, it remains to be seen whether the hierarchy at Chelsea will be willing to return to an old academy player for such a high fee. 

More Chelsea stories

Chelsea transfer news is starting to gather pace. 

The Blues have been linked with Sadio Mane, along with Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar, in a bid to improve their squad, while Manuel Ugarte appears to be PSG-bound. Kylian Mbappe could be on the cards, too, while Andre Onana is still on the radar. 

Romelu Lukaku has also been mooted for a return to the squad, though outgoings are inevitable.