Wesley Fofana is set to miss the majority of the upcoming season after undergoing knee surgery, which leaves Mauricio Pochettino with Thiago Silva, Levi Colwill, Trevoh Chalobah and Benoit Badiashile, who is also injured and could miss the start of the season, as his four options in central defence.

According to The Guardian, Chelsea are interested in a move for Guehi and are weighing up whether to submit a bid for the 23-year-old.

The report also claims that Chelsea are not considering a move for Manchester United’s Harry Maguire, who was stripped of the club captaincy by Erik ten Hag last weekend.

Guehi, meanwhile, has impressed since joining Palace in an £18 million deal from Chelsea in 2021.

Arsenal and Tottenham are also interested in Guehi but as part of their agreement with Palace, Chelsea do have the option to match any rival bids for the defender.

Pochettino, meanwhile, has made it clear that he wants Chelsea to bring in new signings before the new Premier League season begins.

‘I want the right profiles, the right players, to arrive and improve the squad,’ Pochettino said.

‘Of course, as soon as possible is better than later. Today is better than tomorrow. We need to work really hard on the targets we have. We know it’s difficult. We have a very young squad.

‘It is a challenge. It is something we knew when we accepted being in charge of this club. Nothing to complain about, it is a really exciting moment.

‘We are confident we can build a really good squad that is ready to compete in the Premier League. We are still working to finish it.

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The 23-year-old has emerged as one of the players the Reds could turn to in order to plug the Fabinho-shaped hole set to open up in their squad.

And according to journalist David Lynch via his YouTube channel yesterday, Doucoure is a player who’s been on Liverpool’s radar before.

“Another one we’re hearing at the moment is Crystal Palace’s Cheick Doucoure,” Lynch says. “I believe he was a player Liverpool liked before he moved to the Premier League. Would it make them like him even more now he has got that Premier League experience under his belt? Just the one season, but I believe it was a season he was Player of the Year at Crystal Palace amid some stiff competition.

“The fact that he stood out in a team that’s got that much quality suggests to me that maybe he is someone who’s still on Liverpool’s radar and they’re really looking at.

“They do like to sign those players even if it’s just the one season with a bit of Premier League experience, so that they can judge the statistics and the numbers behind them and see if they can translate to the Premier League. So I’d say with that one, maybe that’s one to keep an eye on, he does certainly fit the bill.”

Liverpool keeping tabs on Doucoure

Prior to the last couple of days, Doucoure was not a name many Liverpool fans would have been coveting.

Yes, he did indeed have a very good season with Palace. The 23-year-old was also very highly rated before joining them from Lens last year.

But, he’s a very ‘under the radar’ type of player. A holder by trade, Doucoure is a tough tackler and a tempo-setter. In other words, he’s exactly what Liverpool need.

As Lynch points out, the Mali international does have a few of the hallmarks of a Reds signing.

First of all, it is important that he has some Premier League experience. Having taken a look at him while at Lens, it seems Liverpool deduced that Doucoure just needed a ‘finishing school’ before making the leap to Anfield.

Having found that at Palace, and still being just 23, he now looks ready to push on and join a top team. The reported £50m asking price is also more-or-less in Liverpool’s usual shopping range.

If he did move to Anfield, Doucoure would have the chance to be an immediate starter and continue in that role for years to come. That may be underwhelming for supporters who were hoping for a big name to replace Fabinho. But for us, it looks just about perfect.