Chelsea are now firmly in the race to sign an England international also wanted by Barcelona, who has been described as "one of the best" in Europe.
Blues miss opportunity to go top of the table
The Blues squandered their chance to go top of the Premier League table on Saturday afternoon, with Fabio Carvalho bagging a stoppage-time equaliser for Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium, to ensure the spoils were shared in a 2-2 draw.
Enzo Maresca was forced into making three half-time substitutions, given that a number of players are yet to reach full match fitness, including Wesley Fofana, who made his first Premier League start of the season.
Maresca is a little light on options in defence, having not brought in a replacement for Levi Colwill during the summer transfer window, with the Englishman set for a lengthy spell on the treatment table due to an ACL injury.
According to journalist Graeme Bailey, however, signing a new centre-back is on the to-do list, with Chelsea now firmly back in the race to sign Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, who nearly joined Liverpool in a £35m deal on deadline day.
Speaking about the west Londoners' interest, Bailey said: "Chelsea know all about Guehi, but this summer they opted not to bring in a new central defender, even after Levi Colwill’s injury. However, the chance to add a homegrown star, currently one of the best in Europe – it is just not logical for them not to be involved.
"Chelsea know Guehi’s character, he is a fantastic person and everyone who meets him relays that fact – I was told by one high ranking Premier League executive that signing him is one of the ‘least risky’ transfers that anyone could do.
There could be fierce competition for the defender's signature, however, with Liverpool still thought to be in pole position, while the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are also named as potential suitors.
Guehi could be upgrade on Colwill
There are indications the Palace captain could be an upgrade on Colwill, given that he is far more established at international level, having picked up 25 caps for England, compared to just five for the Chelsea defender.
Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi in action
Not only that, but the 25-year-old has outperformed Colwill across a number of key defensive metrics over the past year, while also proving himself as more of an attacking threat.
Average per 90 Levi Colwill Marc Guehi
Non-penalty goals 0.06 0.11
Tackles 1.38 1.80
Blocks 1.03 1.46
Clearances 3.31 4.63
Guehi could be a fantastic signing for Chelsea, and should they qualify for the Champions League once again, moving to Stamford Bridge is likely to be an attractive proposition next summer.