Crystal Palace are now looking to sign a £25m centre-back, who is viewed as a ready-made replacement for Marc Guehi, with the captain still expected to sign for Liverpool.
Guehi left fuming after deadline day Liverpool move falls through
Guehi was expected to complete a move to Anfield on deadline day, but the deal fell through, as Palace were unable to bring a suitable replacement through the door in the summer, despite tabling a club-record £37m bid for Inter Milan's Yann Bisseck.
It has since emerged that the Englishman has been left fuming with the move not going through, despite doing everything right by continuing to honour his contract and play for the Eagles amid widespread speculation over his future.
With less than one year remaining on his contract, the 25-year-old is now poised to leave the South London club on a free, which will be a difficult pill for Steve Parish to swallow, given that he was valued at £60m not too long ago.
According to a report from Caught Offside, Guehi is still edging towards a move to Liverpool, which means Crystal Palace have now set their sights on Chelsea defender Axel Disasi, who is viewed as a ready-made replacement for the centre-back.
It is deemed 'inevitable' that Disasi will leave the Blues during the January transfer window, given that he is not a part of Enzo Maresca's plans, and a move to Selhurst Park could now be on the cards.
Aston Villa's Axel Disasi in action with Brentford's Kevin Schade-1
Aston Villa's Axel Disasi in action with Brentford's Kevin Schade
The Eagles are thought to be looking to sign the 27-year-old on loan, with previous reports stating Chelsea value the defender at around £25m.
How Disasi compares to Guehi stylistically
The Frenchman could be an improvement on Guehi in some departments, given that he appears to be more comfortable in possession of the ball, although the England international has outperformed the Chelsea man across some key defensive metrics over the past year.
Average per 90 Axel Disasi Marc Guehi
Passes attempted 58.50 51.02
Pass completion % 87.9% 83.2%
Tackles 1.84 1.85
Blocks 1.01 1.50
That said, while the former AS Monaco man has been lauded as "incredible" in the past, it does not bode well that he is a part of the Chelsea 'bomb squad', while he is also thought to have turned down a late move to Selhurst Park.
Theoretically, another four months without playing any football may change his mind, but it remains to be seen whether Disasi is even interested in a move to Selhurst Park this January.