The clock is ticking and a lot may yet unfold for Chelsea on transfer deadline day. All the talk will be around Enzo Fernandez with the Blues hard at work in Portugal as the west London club prepare to break their transfer record to land the World Cup winner.
Graham Potter has already seen David Datro Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Joao Felix, Mykhailo Mudryk, Andrey Santos and Noni Madueke added to his squad, while Malo Gusto will arrive in the summer to provide another option. Regardless of what pans out before the window shuts, Chelsea's work is not done yet.
What would constitute Chelsea's perfect day? Maybe they won't be too far away.
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How the club and supporters rate today will revolve around one man's signature - Fernandez. If Chelsea can get that deal over the line it would be a real statement signing for now and the new era of ownership.
The Blues held extensive talks yesterday with Benfica and tabled an offer football.london understands is worth in excess of the £105million release clause in the midfielder's contract but, crucially, still split into instalments. The Portuguese giants' response will go a long way to setting the tone for the day.
That would be dreamy in itself but if the Blues can get ahead on their summer clear-out it would not go amiss with the first team squad perhaps starting to become a little bloated and some difficult decisions will be required over who will make their Champions League squad. Both Jorginho and Hakim Ziyech have emerged as possible late departures.
While the latter has enjoyed some promising form upon his return from the World Cup, this month may see his highest valuation before the end of his deal in 2025. For the moment, it appears a loan is most likely. If Chelsea can include a clause that sees a sale with favourable terms for them, that could help the club who now have an array of wingers at Potter's disposal. PSG and other Champions League contenders are in contention.
Seeing Jorginho head to Arsenal would be tough to bear but earning a fee for the Italian could be a bonus in the event Fernandez lands at Stamford Bridge. The former Napoli maestro is set to see his contract expire in the summer and avoiding another Antonio Rudiger-Andreas Christensen situation would be preferable.
Finding homes to help the development of players such as Omari Hutchinson, Mason Burstow, Jayden Wareham and Brian Fiabema would be beneficial. After seeing the latter two players and the likes of Harvey Vale struggle for minutes in the opening six months of the season away from Cobham proves the importance of finding the right team.
If Chelsea's rivals miss out on their primary targets, that would really cap things off nicely. Especially if all of their business was completed well in advance of 11pm so anyone linked to the Blues can head to bed dreaming of the future.
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