RB Leipzig forward Christopher Nkunku reportedly had secret medical checks with Chelsea in the summer - but the 24-year-old's €60million (£53m) release clause is not able to be triggered until next year.
Nkunku has a number of suitors across Europe after notching 35 goals in 52 games for Leipzig in all competitions last term. And the versatile forward has carried that rich vein of form into the new campaign, where he's already bagged six goals.
Chelsea were one of the club's who are interested in striking a deal with Leipzig for Nkunku, but the release clause that was inserted in the contract the forward signed back in June complicated a summer deal.
According to Bild, via Fussball News, Nkunku's £53m release clause doesn't come into effect until 2023 - meaning Leipzig were unlikely to do business unless a much larger sum was offered by the Blues, who spent in excess of £270m under Todd Boehly in the summer.
But that didn't prevent the Londoners from carrying out some private medical checks with Nkunku, with the report claiming that the Frenchman has already completed a cardiological test. A Chelsea orthopedist was also believed to be present for tests, which were conducted in secret to avoid sparking a fuss and were only paid for in the past few days.
Chelsea are expected to rekindle their interest when Nkunku's release clause becomes active next summer and have no qualms over shelling out £52m to land one of Europe's most prolific forwards.
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If Chelsea do press ahead with their attempts to land Nkunku in 12 months time, the forward would join Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the Blues' new look attack at Stamford Bridge under Graham Potter.
Romelu Lukaku re-joined the club for a record £97.5m last year and it is likely he will also be reintegrated under Potter after falling out of favour with Thomas Tuchel or offloaded for good.
Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech are two other names at the club who face a decisive few months now a new head coach has been appointed. Both struggled for regular minutes under Potter's predecessor, Tuchel.
While Pulisic has been particularly outspoken against the German, he reportedly snubbed loan interest from Manchester United to stay and fight for a first-team spot at Stamford Bridge.
Ziyech, meanwhile, looked set for the exit following deadline day talks with AC Milan. However, a deal with the Italian giants collapsed at the eleventh hour - leaving Ziyech in limo.
Although both will harbour hopes of resurrecting their Chelsea careers under a new boss, there is still scope for both of them to be offloaded in future transfer windows.
