Chelsea are hoping that Ousmane Dembélé could be their first signing, not only of the summer but also of the new era under the ownership of Todd Boehly.
The 25-year old Frenchman is set to leave Barcelona this summer, with the two sides still gridlocked over a proposed contract extension, with the player unwilling to accept the terms on offer.
That means he will be available on a free transfer, and, although PSG were the initial; favourites to sign him, the sacking of sporting director Leonardo in the wake of the new deal for Kylian Mbappé has thrown that move into doubt.
That gives Chelsea the opportunity to steal a march on their rivals, with the club ready finally to do business again no that the takeover has finally got the green light.
Apart from PSG, there may be another club interested in the French international winger, and that is Liverpool. They find themselves with the need to find a replacement for Sadio Mané, who looks like he will be joining Bayern Munich this summer, and Dembélé is reportedly viewed as a potential candidate.
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.