Chelsea are reportedly closing in on their first signing of the January transfer window with Derby County defender Dylan Williams inbound.
But he is not expected to be a solution to Thomas Tuchel's troubles at left wing-back, instead being brought in to help with a similar issue in the club's academy.
The German is said to be eager to strengthen in the area with Ben Chilwell set to miss the remainder of the season with a ruptured cruciate ligament, leaving Marcos Alonso as his only option.
However, that does not mean supporters cannot be excited by the arrival of the 18-year-old, especially given the excellent talent to emerge from the Cobham Academy in recent years.
Current Derby manager Wayne Rooney talked about the deal with Williams in his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon too, insisting he was eager to allow the player to leave.
"We have agreed a fee with a Premier League club, still getting finalised as we speak, for Dylan Williams," he said, as reported by Derbyshire Live.
"It is one where I felt I couldn't deny him the opportunity, so that is my decision, not an administrator's decision," Rooney added.
"It was my decision after speaking to the player, I felt I couldn't deny a young lad an opportunity of going to play in the Premier League."
Williams has made six first-team appearances for the Rams in the 2021-22 season, playing in a number of positions in Rooney's side.
The details of the deal are yet to be confirmed although Rooney was eager to point out that the sale was not the decision of the club's administrators.
But he also noted that he does not know the details of the agreement himself.
"I actually don't know what the fee is, that has been agreed between the other club and the administrators," Rooney said.
"I took control of it and said I wanted to speak to the player and see what his feelings are, and it is a massive opportunity for the player, which I understand. Hence the fact I was happy for him to leave the club for a new venture somewhere else."
