A few awkward questions are being posed towards Chelsea's recruitment at the moment that Thomas Tuchel would have probably hoped to avoid as we enter the second half of the season.
Be that the struggles of Romelu Lukaku in front of goal or the general frustration he expressed about his whole attack after the 1-0 defeat to Manchester City.
Amid the January chase to recall Emerson from Lyon as Ben Chilwell's backup, a new name has sprung up, potentially indicating a future strategy for the German's midfield as Marina Granovskaia spots a rare opportunity in the market amid Barcelona's financial chaos.
Last Friday, Catalan publication El Nacional reported that Chelsea had bid £33m for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong.
The report details that De Jong's father had recently remarked that "The top five clubs in Europe have asked for him," making the European Champions one of the interested parties in his signature.
A £33m bid only places Chelsea around £8m short of Barca's asking price, despite signing him for £76m in 2019 from Ajax.
The Dutch international is admired for his technical prowess in midfield. He is an elegant player on the ball but has likely struggled within Barcelona's chaotic structure since singing.
In terms of central midfield targets, De Jong feels like a left-field name given the persistent links to Monaco's Aurelien Tchouameni and West Ham's Declan Rice. The latter two are more physically imposing players who excel in interceptions.
With the Spanish giants struggling to balance the books, the need to sell players remain clear and given Pedri, Nico and Gavi all emerging as the future of the club's midfield, De Jong could see himself better suited elsewhere.
De Jong's versatility is likely what could make him attractive to Thomas Tuchel, given his previous experience playing as a holding midfielder and in the centre of defence.
It could help repeat a ploy he used at Borussia Dortmund with Julian Weigl, where despite playing a four-man defence, he could drop into a back-three in the build-up phase of play.
De Jong's increased mobility in addition to his comfort on the ball could also see him as an ideal successor to Jorginho in Chelsea's midfield.
Tuchel may look to move Chelsea away from a three-man defence to his recently used 4-2-2-2 formation.
There could be legs to this one given how attractive that fee looks given the quality of the player and suitability to a possession-heavy system, something Tuchel wants.
However, both Tchouameni and Rice's physical attributes and defensive strengths cannot be discounted as key traits worth having in the Premier League.
This season Tchouameni and Rice rank above the Barcelona man in successful defensive actions per 90, interceptions per 90, defensive duels per 90, and aerial duels won percentage per 90 via WyScout.
Whether this deal is viable or of significant priority to Chelsea within this window remains to be seen.
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