Joe Cole believes Chelsea should go and sign Marc Guehi this month but the former Blues winger is frustrated with the club for selling the defender in the first place.

football.london understands the Blues are interested in signing the 24-year-old centre-back, who they sold back in 2021 to Crystal Palace for around £18million. While there is a certain interest from Chelsea's side, the west London club are yet to officially contact Palace over re-signing Guehi in the January transfer window.

Chelsea are short of options at centre-back at the moment. Wesley Fofana could miss the remainder of this season with a serious hamstring injury, while Benoit Badiashile is expected to remain on the sidelines until at least February with a similar issue.

READ MORE: Kobbie Mainoo signs, Romeo Lavia problem - How mega Chelsea transfer can add to £280m plan

READ MORE: We 'signed' Marc Guehi for Chelsea in the January transfer window and Enzo Maresca won a trophy

Levi Colwill and Josh Acheampong started as the defensive pairing at Selhurst Park over the weekend with Tosin Adarabioyo and Axel Disasi - the other two centre-half options for Enzo Maresca - sitting on the bench. Chelsea are considering signing a new centre-back this month, football.london understands, with Guehi a name on a list of multiple options, while the possibility of recalling Trevoh Chalobah from his loan with Palace is also something that is being discussed internally.

Cole is a big fan of Guehi, who shone for England in the Euros last year, and believes Chelsea should be looking at trying to bring him back to Stamford Bridge. However, the former Blues winger is frustrated with his old club for allowing the Cobham graduate to leave SW6 more than three years ago when Marina Granovskaia was the club's director.

"The priority for Chelsea is in central defence," Cole said to Paddy Power. "Benoit Badiashile is picking up injuries and Wesley Fofana has been wonderful, but he keeps on breaking down. Levi Colwill is a young player who's done well but he still needs to develop and improve, and he will do.

"It's so frustrating for Chelsea because they've sold someone like Marc Guehi, and he's gone on to become a top centre half which I could see [at the time]. Guehi is a proper player and he's in England's starting line-up now and Chelsea are going to have to fork out to get him back.

"It's an area that needs to be sorted out at Chelsea. Some of the lads, like Axel Disasi, haven't quite settled as much as the club would have liked. I like the links with Marc Guehi but it's just frustrating that they need to go and buy players that they've sold - Chelsea do it far too often!

"If needs must, and it's the right move, you have to do it and I do not think there's a better centre-half in the country, outside of Manchester City and Arsenal. He's as good as anything there is, and he will get better."