Chelsea may have until the summer to sign Jules Koundé from Sevilla.
But the wait could be worth it, as they may be able to sign the French international for a relatively low price.
At the start of the season, Seville rejected Chelsea’s offer for the player because it did not match their £68 million valuation of him.
That decision was not well received by Koundé, who has openly stated his wish to play in the Premier League, and felt the la Liga side were denying him the opportunity.
The Spanish club, who are in contention for Champion League place, do not want to sell him in the middle of the season.
However, there is a growing acceptance that they cannot hold on to his beyond the current campaign, and their financial situation also means they will accept a lower price for him now because they need to balance the books.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.