Chelsea have sprung into life this week with the transfer window closing this afternoon at 5pm, however their dealings might not be done for the summer.
Yesterday was the biggest day of the summer so far, with Kepa Arrizabalaga joining the club for a world-record fee for a goalkeeper at £71m, while Thibaut Courtois finally got his move to Real Madrid after not turning up for training.
As part of the Courtois deal, Mateo Kovacic came in the other direction on a season-long loan, but Chelsea fans are hoping there might be one more deal left in the pipeline before the window slams shut.
A fee is expected to be around £63m, although Liverpool did agree a fee for £10m less than that price last month, however the move fell through and it is expected that the Reds are not going to be pursuing his signature.
So with just a few hours left, what must the Blues do to get the deal over the line?
Lyon bring their expectations down
The Ligue 1 side are not willing to part ways with one of their star players cheaply, but having agreed a fee for cheaper with Liverpool before, they might be convinced to sell.
“It’s too early to say [what will happen],” Lyon manager Bruno Genesio said after the pre-season friendly match between Lyon and Chelsea on Tuesday night. “He wanted to leave at the end of last season but came back to training yesterday and was happy.
“Who knows? There may be opportunities that come up before the end of the window. For now, he is a Lyon player.” Having spent £71m on a goalkeeper in Kepa, the Blues hierarchy may not be willing to part with another massive fee for a player and that £10m could make a massive difference in a yes or no decision.
Fekir pushes for the move
If Chelsea want to sign Fekir then the France World Cup winner has to show that he wants to make the move away from Lyon, which he had done before when Liverpool came calling.
The Frenchman returned to training on Monday after winning the tournament in Russia, which is why he wasn’t part of the travelling squad for Lyon’s friendly game at Stamford Bridge. However, if a deal is going to be done in the next few hours then the 25-year-old also needs to make his move with his current club.
Chelsea show the ambition
The transfer window is turning from a poor one into a pretty decent couple of days for the Blues, but if they do go and land Fekir then they would be showing some real ambition and backing for Maurizio Sarri.
The Italian has said before that he is not interested in transfer market, but having a player in his ranks that scored 18 goals in Ligue 1 last season and has obvious quality would be a massive show of strength.
The Blues need to send a message to the rest of the Premier League, and this could very well be the one to make that happen.