Chelsea's squad may be starting to look a lot thinner than it did at the start of the summer following a raft of departures early in the transfer window, but the much-needed overhaul could pay off next season.
Kai Havertz, Mateo Kovacic, Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly and N'Golo Kante have all departed, while Mason Mount is set to join Manchester United and Ruben Loftus-Cheek is close to signing for AC Milan.
However, Christopher Nkunku has arrived after the worst secret in football was finally confirmed last week, and there is still plenty of time for others to arrive at Stamford Bridge to offset the exits of some key first-team regulars.
If links with the likes of Gabri Veiga, Nicolas Jackson and Moises Caicedo were not enough to get Blues supporters excited again, then rumours suggesting Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe is a target surely will.
Are Chelsea interested in signing PSG forward Kylian Mbappe?
According to reports in Spain, Chelsea have joined Real Madrid in the race to sign Kylian Mbappe, who has informed PSG he will not be extending his contract beyond the end of next season.
Madrid had been widely expected to finally land the France international either this summer or in 12 months' time, but the report suggests Chelsea are serious with their interest.
It is claimed that chairman Todd Boehly, who has shown during his year at the helm that he is not afraid to splash the cash, wants to turn Chelsea into a team of champions and is eager to pair Nkunku with Mbappe up top.
Can Mbappe and Nkunku play alongside each other?
Just how true those rumours are remains to be seen, but the prospect of France international teammates – and former PSG colleagues – Mbappe and Nkunku playing alongside each other for Chelsea is pretty mouthwatering, to say the least.
Mbappe needs little introduction, of course, having emerged as a talent to watch ever since overtaking Thierry Henry as Monaco's youngest goalscorer at 17 years and 62 days in February 2016.
The £117m-rated World Cup winner (as per Football Transfers) has cemented his status as one of the best forwards on the planet across six seasons with PSG, becoming the Parisians' all-time leading scorer in the process, on top of his international success with Les Bleus – and all that is reflected in the stats.
Mbappe is ranked in the top 2% of all forwards across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for non-penalty goals per 90 minutes (0.83), as per FBref, while also ranking in the top 18% for assists per 90 (0.21). No wonder Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti described him as "unstoppable" ahead of a Champions League tie earlier this year.
Nkunku, while not quite the global name as Mbappe, scores at an impressive rate of 0.59 non-penalty goals per 90 (top 9%) and assists 0.18 goals per 90 (top 27%).
Interestingly, FBref's player comparison model ranks Nkunku as the third-most similar player to Mbappe in terms of their statistical profiles. For example, they score from a near-identical number of shots (0.18 for Mbappe, 0.19 for Nkunku) and complete a very similar number of passes (80.9% and 80.2%).
There is also a likeness in terms of their ability to win the ball back (0.32 tackles per 90 for Mbappe, 0.28 for Nkunku) and in terms of shot-creating actions per 90 – which factors in passes and take-ons leading to a shot – with Nkunku slightly edging it at 4.65 to Mbappe's 4.57.
Clearly, the pair can cause damage if paired together, as they have been for France and PSG in the past. Not only can they score, assist and create chaos in the final third, but they also complement each other well.
Whereas Mbappe outshines Nkunku in terms of successful take-ons per 90 (2.36 v 1.80), the latter comes out on top for aerial duels won per 90 (0.81 v 0.26).
Identifying Mbappe as a good option to lead the line is the easy part, though. Persuading the superstar forward to join, while also matching PSG's valuation for a player in the final year of his contract, is the hard part. Over to you, Todd.
