Mason Mount's Chelsea future remains in the balance, but it appears the club have already got at least one alternative lined up should the midfielder join Manchester United.
Who could Chelsea sign to replace Mason Mount?
Man United have now agreed terms over a £60m move to sign Mount with Chelsea now potentially feeling the need to sign a replacement.
Should the Englishman indeed depart, the Evening Standard claims that the Blues expect to move for Celta Vigo midfielder Gabri Veiga, who has also been strongly linked with Premier League rivals Liverpool.
The Spain U21 international has a release clause of £34m, meaning he can be signed for around half the fee Mount goes for.
Is Gabri Veiga a good choice for Chelsea?
Veiga is coming off the back of a stellar campaign for Celta Vigo in which he scored 11 goals and assisted four more in 36 LaLiga appearances.
The 21-year-old's 0.43 non-penalty goals per 90 minutes over the past year sees him ranked in the top 1% of all midfielders across Europe's top five leagues, as per FBref, while he is in the top 2% for shots (2.43 per 90), which tells you all you need to know about his playing style.
Described as a "top talent" by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, and with a reasonable release clause, it is clear that Veiga is a man in demand.
With Chelsea also said to be closing in on a big-money deal for Brighton and Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo, the Blues could well create a dream central-midfield partnership that can help bring success back to Stamford Bridge.
Indeed, whereas Veiga thrives in the attacking metrics, Caicedo is very much a defensive-minded midfielder and is considered more of a replacement for N'Golo Kante.
Caicedo, who is reportedly valued in the region of £80m by Brighton, ranks in the top 11% among his positional peers across Europe's elite leagues for interceptions (1.61 per 90 minutes) and the top 13% for tackles (2.87).
Veiga, incidentally, is in the bottom 32% and 28% respectively in those metrics, whereas Caicedo is in the bottom 26% for non-penalty goals (0.03 per 90) and bottom 33% for shots (0.80).
It effectively means that the pair thrive in different areas, making them the ideal pivoting combo for Mauricio Pochettino.
They would undoubtedly be an upgrade on what the Blues already have available, too, with Veiga's 0.43 goals per 90 in LaLiga last season more than any other Chelsea player could manage, with Joao Felix ranking highest with 0.38.
In terms of the defensive metrics, Caicedo recorded 4.47 tackles and interceptions per 90 minutes for Brighton in the Premier League last term. To put that number in some perspective, no Chelsea player could match that, with best-performing midfielder Conor Gallagher managing 3.83.
Chelsea's squad overhaul is already in full swing, but it could be about to get a whole lot more exciting if Veiga – and indeed Caicedo – are brought to Stamford Bridge in the coming weeks.