Will Raphinha or Ousmane Dembele sign for Chelsea during the summer transfer window? Initially, The Frenchman was the nailed-on favourite to join Raheem Sterling in forming a large part of Thomas Tuchel's newly looked front three for 2022/23.
However, his apparent desire to remain in Spain has put a Tuchel reunion in serious doubt. In fact, a new contract at the Camp Nou seems the most likely outcome now for Barca's No. 7, who was swayed by manager Xavi who did all he could to ensure that the Blues and Todd Boehly weren't to pounce for him.
With the 25-year-old set to become a free agent by the time the clock hits midnight on July 1, Joan Laporta and co are in a rush to get Dembele signed to a new deal in order to prevent the likes of Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, alongside the Blues, taking a closer look into the situation at hand.
READ MORE: Ousmane Dembele 'closer' to making Barcelona decision as Raphinha's Chelsea transfer imminent
Dembele staying could have a big influence on Raphinha's future. Arsenal were initially in the driving seat to seal a potential cut price deal for the Brazilian but just like Chelsea did with Tottenham and Willian all those seasons ago, they swooped in with a verbal offer of around £55m, an offer that Leeds United accepted, pending his agent Deco agreeing personal terms with Chelsea for his client.
Whilst there is confidence that Leeds' No. 10 will be donning Chelsea blue soon, despite Barcelona's complicated financial situation, they may not yet be out of the race to sign Raphinha. Therefore, although unlikely, there is a slight chance that the Blues may end up with neither Raphinha or Dembele.
With this all in mind, football.london takes a look at five alternatives Boehly could look at next if the worst comes to worse.
Neymar
Some Chelsea supporters will argue that missing out on both Dembele and Raphinha to land the Brazilian icon would be worth it.
Paris Saint-Germain are said to be keen on moving the 30-year-old on this summer, with it even being reported that the Parisians are even willing to pay a large chunk of his astronomical wages if a suitable loan offer came in at the very least.
The Blues have been credited with an interest alongside the likes of Man United, Newcastle United and Barcelona. Thiago Silva's recent comments endorsing this move may mean that something could go on behind the scenes as new owner Boehly tries to make his 'marquee' impact in the first summer transfer window.
Whether or not Chelsea make an official move for the winger remains to be seen but his good relationship with manager Tuchel means that this option is certainly not out of the equation.
Federico Bernardeschi
After five years at the Allianz Stadium, Juventus have said their goodbyes to the former Fiorentina man.
Despite playing a total of 33 games in all competitions for the Old Lady last season, the 28-year-old has decided it's time to move to a new challenge elsewhere.
Whether that is within Italy or Europe remains unknown but Chelsea would have to move fast for the free agent before José Mourinho and AS Roma snap up his signature, with the newly crowned Conference League winners viewing Juve's now former No. 20 as the perfect replacement for the outgoing Nicolo Zaniolo.
Federico Chiesa
One man that has been on the agenda of Chelsea for a long-time has been Juventus' talismanic figure.
Throughout all of Antonio Conte's., Maurizio Sarri's, Frank Lampard and even the start of Tuchel's reigns, the 24-year-old has always drawn interest from the Blues. In the past, the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool were quoted £85m for the Italian international.
That was viewed too steep at the time, and with just how important he still is to Max Allegri's side, a similar price may be thrown Chelsea's way if they were to make a fresh enquiry. Therefore, unless Boehly wants to splash out more than what he could have done on Richarlison, it would seem that a late move for Chiesa would be near impossible unless the appetite was there for big money to splurged.
Serge Gnabry
The former Arsenal man could be sold by Bayern Munich this summer after the arrival of Liverpool's Sadio Mané, which means the Bundesliga Champions will certainly entertain offers for the 26-year-old.
With one year left on his current deal, any Premier League team could potentially secure a real coup if they were to put the right amount of money on the table for the German international.
Gnabry usually has a good injury record and this was shown last season with his ability as per FBref.com to rack up a total of 2,574 minutes in all competitions for the Bavarians. Of course, Chelsea fans know the right-winger well from when he caused havoc against Lampard's side in the Champions League Round of 16 tie back in 2020, a game in which he netted twice.
Leandro Trossard
A rather outside option but a good one nonetheless would be the Belgian, who is already Premier League-proven.
At 27 years of age and with one year left to run on his current deal at Brighton, Boehly could avoid the glamorous name and go for a cost-effective option which would only set the club back a mere £18m, according to Transfermarkt.
Having attained 11 goal contributions in 2021/22 for Graham Potter's side and having been compared to Eden Hazard in the past, it may not be a bad shout for a Premier League proven option, just like Raheem Sterling will be, to come in and add a new dimension to an attack which failed to really get going at various times last term.
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Chelsea fans- Are there any of those five alternatives that you want to be signed if both Raphinha and Ousmane Dembélé were to snub the Blues? Leave your thoughts in the comments section down below!
