Premier League bidding war expected for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi?

When Palace won the race to sign Guehi from Chelsea for £18m in 2021, they had pulled off somewhat of a coup with the Blues academy graduate tipped to cement himself as a top-flight regular.

That is exactly how it has proven, the 23-year-old having gone on to make 93 appearances for Palace in all competitions and miss just four outings from a possible 86 in the Premier League.

However, with the England international now close to reaching the midway point of a five-year contract, decisions will soon need to be made regarding his long-term future.

There may be an acceptance at Palace that they will be unable to tie Guehi down to fresh terms, realistically providing them with a maximum of four transfer windows to generate a sizeable fee.

On a positive note for the Eagles, though, they are unlikely to ever be short of interest in the left-sided central defender, even if a report in The Sun hints that they are against a sale in January.

The outlet claims that any bidding war will be put off until the summer transfer window at the earliest with Palace eager to retain Guehi's services throughout 2023-24.

As it stands, Palace currently possess the eighth-best defensive record in the division, a return of 13 goals conceded being required when just eight have been netted at the other end.

Nevertheless, the report adds that the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City are primed to do battle in the race to convince Guehi to join their respective clubs.

While it is claimed that City may try to tempt Palace with a lucrative approach in January, Palace are in no rush to part ways with their most prized asset.

Guehi could also come under consideration by former club Chelsea, who will allegedly be in the market for a new defender at the midway point of the campaign.

Premier League leaders Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United remain options, particularly the latter who may feel forced to rejig their defensive options at some stage after losing five of their opening 10 league fixtures this season.

As well as Guehi, Palace boss Roy Hodgson currently has Joachim Andersen, Rob Holding, Chris Richards and James Tomkins as his other options for his two roles in the middle of his backline.