Crystal Palace could be in for a busy few weeks ahead of the start of the new Premier League campaign as they are potentially forced to seek a replacement for in-demand Marc Guehi.
The Eagles are interested in signing Torino's Perr Schuurs, according to the Evening Standard, and journalist Dean Jones believes he could be the perfect player to replace Guehi at Selhurst Park.
What is the latest with Marc Guehi?
Football Insider reports that Liverpool are ready to battle it out with Premier League rivals Newcastle United for Guehi, who is valued in the region of around £60m by Palace.
That fee would allow Roy Hodgson's side to bring in a high-quality replacement, and Jones is not surprised Schuurs is wanted by so many of Europe's elite clubs.
Speaking to FootballFanCast, the reporter said:
"If Guehi was to leave, and they got the money in for him that they want, they'll have to scout around quickly to find a talent as good – and Schuurs is a big talent.
"He's got a great ability to read the game, so no surprise at all that he's been on the radar of the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool – he has a profile that fits those sides well."
Schuurs is under contract with Torino for another three years, with the option of another, meaning the Serie A side are under no real pressure to cash in unless their reported €40m (£34.2m) valuation is met.
How good is Torino defender Perr Schuurs?
Schuurs joined Torino from Ajax last August and played 30 times in 2022-23 for a side boasting the fifth-best defensive record in the Italian top flight.
The Netherlands U21 international rated particularly highly in metrics such as possession won and aerial duels won, with The Analyst ranking him in the top 7% and 23% respectively among defenders across Europe's top five leagues.
For comparison, Guehi – eight months younger than Schuurs at 22 – was among the top 10% for possession won and in the bottom 45% for aerial duels won.
The youngster's strengths do not necessarily lie in winning the ball in the air, but he was also outperformed by Schuurs in terms of defensive actions – tackles, interceptions and blocks – as he was in the bottom 19 percentile and the latter in the bottom 37.
That is not to say Guehi is necessarily a worse player than Schuurs – his huge valuation says as much – but the Dutchman appears a more-than-adequate option to come in for half the price.
Indeed, Schuurs also came out on top last season in areas such as passing accuracy (88.1% v 85.3%), take-on success rate (71.4% v 66.7%) and direct goal involvement (0.08 goals or assists per 90, compared to 0.03 for Guehi), which is always a handy bonus for a centre-back.
In an ideal world, Palace would have Schuurs and Guehi lining up alongside each other in one of the most talented partnerships in Europe next season. But if the former Ajax player is instead bought solely as a replacement, then he would be close to the ideal successor for the Eagles.
