Crystal Palace are reportedly interested in signing Peterborough United centre-back Ronnie Edwards this summer and the teenage defender could be the next Marc Guehi in Patrick Vieira's side.

According to the Peterborough Telegraph, Chelsea are readying a bid for the 19-year-old defender, who is also attracting interest from Palace, Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton.

The young centre-back broke into Peterborough's side last season and caught the eye despite their relegation back to League One, as he made 34 appearances in the second tier.

He has kept his place as a starter in Grant McCann's side this season, starting in each of their six League One fixtures so far this season, helping the Posh to fourth in the league.

Darren Ferguson waxed lyrical about Edwards after a 3-0 win against Birmingham City last season.

He said: “It helps having Ronnie Edwards at the back. He’s an incredible talent, easily the best young player I’ve managed. He seemed to get everyone playing. It was a remarkable performance as he also coped defensively against two Premier League standard players in Troy Deeney and Tahith Chong."

Previous reports have suggested that Palace will need to pay £15m if they want to prise Edwards away from the Weston Homes Community Stadium but if he lives up to his obvious potential, he could prove to be a shrewd acquisition by Palace.

Should the teenage defender make the move to Selhurst Park, he will be looking to emulate Guehi in Vieira's side. The former Chelsea man, like Edwards, first established himself in the Championship during a loan spell with Swansea City before his permanent move to the Eagles.

He has since gone on to represent England at the senior level and considering Edwards is a regular for England U19s, he will be looking to follow a similar career trajectory under Vieira's guidance.

While it is unlikely that he would replace either Joachim Andersen or Guehi in Palace's first team right away, he could be a great long-term option for Vieira to have, especially when James Tomkins likely departs the club when his contract expires next summer.

Should Edwards arrive at Selhurst Park this summer, there is no reason why, with the right amount of time and experience, he can't enjoy similar success to Guehi in the Premier League, as it is clear that they are both highly-rated talents who have been coached well throughout the EFL.