Would Arsenal Pay Up To £80m For England Star Believed To Be On Arteta’s Radar?

IT has been claimed that if Arsenal are really interested in signing Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace then they could end up paying up to £80m for him.

The highly-rated England centre-back is known to have been on the radar of both Mikel Arteta and sporting director Edu for some time.

As previously reported by TEAMtalk, both of them had already ‘approved’ an approach for the player after new signing Jurrien Timber was sidelined in August for a long period after sustaining a knee injury.

Although the Gunners eventually stopped short of making a move for the 23-year-old during the summer transfer window, it is believed that this could happen in January.

Guehi joined Palace from Chelsea in 2021

Guehi has developed into a very influential player since joining the Eagles in 2021 from Chelsea. He turned out 37 times for them last season in the Premier League.

In a formidable partnership with Joachim Andersen at the heart of their defence, he helped Palace keep 10 clean sheets, even chipping in with one goal.

He has already represented England on six occasions, picking up his last two caps in the recent matches with Scotland and Ukraine.

Dean Jones believes Arsenal could have to pay big money for him

Dean Jones, the respected football transfer journalist is of the belief that the Gunners will have to go big if they intend to lure the Three Lions star to the Emirates Stadium in January.

Speaking with GiveMeSport, he said: ‘Crystal Palace were adamant that he wasn’t going to be leaving in the transfer window’.

He continued: ‘But from his point of view, this is a really important season because his main objective is to have a really successful campaign with Palace, but also to get himself into the England starting XI regularly, so he’s in the Euros team when we get to Germany next summer’.

‘If Guehi is an established England international and he’s playing every game at the Euros next summer, then he’s worth at least £80m. Then, Palace are going to have a decision to make because there will be a couple of clubs looking to sign him at that point’, Jones suggested.

Would Arsenal invest another huge chunk of money?

Whether Arsenal are prepared to invest what could eventually end up being in the region of £100m for the defender remains to be seen.

He is currently under contract at Selhurst Park until 2026 so that is another factor that would come into play should the Gunners attempt a move for Guehi.

Roy Hodgson will undoubtedly fight to keep one of his best players at the club, but considering he cost them around £20 then it could be very tempting to cash in for what would be a massive profit.