Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernández recently requested the Blues to move for a Tottenham star, as he wants to see more elite players in west London.
Xabi Alonso appointed as new Chelsea boss with transfer plans mooted
Xabi Alonso has barely been in the job a day and the transfer noise at Stamford Bridge is already deafening.
The Spaniard was officially confirmed as Chelsea's new manager on Sunday, signing a four-year deal running until 2030, and his influence on the club's summer planning is expected to be immediate.
As Fabrizio Romano reported over the weekend, Alonso will be heavily involved in recruitment from the outset — a notable shift from the approach taken with previous coaches, who were often handed players rather than consulted on them.
The early signs suggest the forward line will be the priority.
Reliable Blues insider Simon Phillips has this week reported that Chelsea are weighing up moves for Brentford's Igor Thiago and Galatasaray's Victor Osimhen as they look to add a proven goalscorer, with Liam Delap and Marc Guiu expected to leave.
Joao Pedro is also a hot topic at Barcelona, so they may face a battle to keep the Brazilian given the lure of the Camp Nou.
As per Phillips again, Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins, Newcastle's Nick Woltemade, Sunderland's Brian Brobbey and Inter Milan's Pio Esposito have also been discussed internally as part of a wide-ranging striker search.
But it is not just the front line that needs attention.
According to the reliable journalist, one of Chelsea's own players has made his feelings known about what the club should be doing at the back.
Enzo Fernández tells Chelsea to sign Tottenham captain Cristian Romero
Phillips reports that Fernandez has recently held fresh conversations with Chelsea over a new contract, but nothing has been agreed.
In those discussions, the Argentine is said to have told the club to sign Cristian Romero from Tottenham and expressed a desire to see more top-level players brought in this summer.
It is a bold piece of dressing room diplomacy from a player whose own future has been one of the running subplots of Chelsea's season.
Fernandez has been in contract negotiations with the club since December, but talks apparently broke down over financial terms.
His agent, Javier Pastore, confirmed publicly in April that the two sides could not reach an agreement, at least for now.
Fernandez was also suspended for two games in March after hinting during the international break that he would be open to joining Real Madrid — a moment that caused real friction at Stamford Bridge and led to him being temporarily stripped of the captaincy under Liam Rosenior.
Since then, the temperature has cooled.
Fernandez has been back in the fold, captaining the side again under interim boss Calum McFarlane, and his performances have been among the few consistent positives in a difficult campaign — 13 goals and six assists in 49 appearances across all competitions.
Chelsea are rumoured to be preparing a new contract offer, and Alonso's arrival may prove one of the decisive factors in convincing him to commit.
The Romero suggestion is an interesting one.
The 28-year-old, Fernandez's international teammate, is Tottenham's captain and one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League, with four goals and one assist in 23 league appearances this season.
A serious knee injury — specifically a partial MCL tear suffered in a collision with goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky during the defeat at Sunderland in April — ended his campaign.
He has been back on the grass doing individual work but is unlikely to feature in Spurs' final two games. His contract runs until 2029, and Tottenham would demand a premium for a player of his stature.
The major concern about Romero is his disciplinary record, which has been a big point of criticism since his move to north London from Atalanta.
Whether Chelsea pursue it or not, the message from Fernandez is clear: he wants the club to match his ambition. And with Alonso now at the helm, the window to do that has never been wider.