Norwich City transfer rumours: Chelsea defender a target for Canaries and Saints
Marc Guehi in League Cup action for Chelsea earlier this season Picture: PA - Credit: PA Wire/PA Images
Norwich City have been linked with a loan move for Chelsea and England Under-21 centre-back Marc Guehi.
The Sun have linked the Canaries and Premier League survival rivals Southampton with interest in sealing a loan during the January transfer window, but also claim Championship clubs Bristol City, Nottingham Forest and Swansea are all keen.
Guehi, 19, is a team-mate of City trio Max Aarons, Todd Cantwell and Ben Godfrey at international level having picked up six caps for the England U21s so far - playing the full 90 minutes in all six of the Young Lions' games this season.
Chelsea handed the defender a new long-term contract in September but the report claims they want Guehi to go out and get loan experience now.
Born in Ivory Coast, Guehi was a key part of the England team which won the U17 World Cup and finished as runners-up at the U17 European Championship, both in 2017.
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Notably, both of those were achieved under the guidance of Steve Cooper, who is now in charge at Swansea - captaining the Euros team and scoring in the 5-2 win over Spain in the World Cup final.
Having moved to England as a youngster, Guehi has been on the books at Chelsea since he was nine years old and won the FA Youth Cup and the U18 Premier League title in 2017 and 2018 - and was also part of the squad which lost 3-0 to Barcelona in the Uefa Youth League final in 2018.
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He was a key part of the team which won the Uefa Youth League last season though, making five appearances in the EFL Trophy for the Blues' U21s as well, before making his first two senior appearances in the League Cup this season, playing all of a 7-1 home win over Grimsby and a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United in the third round.
VERDICT: Clearly a talented player and a link to a centre-back isn't surprising in the wake of Ben Godfrey being ruled out until February with a knee injury.
That leaves Christoph Zimmermann and Grant Hanley as the only recognised centre-back options available to Daniel Farke, so a central defender seems an obvious target, with Timm Klose also not due back until March.
However, it seems unlikely that City would go for a 19-year-old with limited senior experience in the midst of a Premier League relegation battle.
U23 defender Akin Famewo has been training with the Canaries' first team in recent months and has League Two experience with Luton and Grimsby previously, so the 21-year-old would seem more likely to get a chance than another club's loanee.
City supporters will no doubt be hoping to see a centre-back of good pedigree and experience arrive during January, one that could push for a starting role and make an impact.
