£40m defender one to watch as Paul Mitchell plans next move in Marc Guehi saga

Last night, The Mail's chief reporter Sami Mokbel reported that our third bid for Marc Guehi had been rejected, with this coming after some bullish comments from Crystal Palace co-owner Steve Parish.

The bid was thought to be £55m + £5m in add-ons, but the Eagles want upwards of £65m. Mokbel reports that sporting director Paul Mitchell is keen to hold a final round of talks to get the deal done, but it remains to be seen how we react after Palace went very public yesterday, with Parish speaking to Sky Sports and the BBC about our failed bids so far.

Moving forward, one player who feels like one to watch in all of this is Joachim Andersen.

Not only have Fulham offered £25m + £5m in add-ons for the £40m-rated Danish international who partners Guehi at Palace, Andersen was heavily linked with a move to St James' Park just last summer after serious interest from Newcastle.

It's unlikely that Newcastle reignite their interest. He'd be far cheaper than Guehi and offers a similar profile to Fabian Schar only four years younger, but it seems we now want a young, more mobile centre-back, hence why Guehi appears to be the top target.

However, the main point here is how Fulham's move could impact things. The Mail report that the Cottagers bid for Andersen threatens to complicate our already difficult move for Guehi, as Palace have no plans to sell both first-choice centre-backs.

This increases our need to act quickly. Either return to the table for Guehi and push for a compromise with one final offer, or walk away and pursue other targets. The third option is we reignite our interest in the hugely capable Andersen who could cost far less than Guehi, although it feels like that ship may have sailed.

Whatvever happens next, we have some big decisions to make with the new season just a few days away and the transfer window closing two weeks on Friday.