Jamie Gittens is the biggest name for Chelsea heading into the final hours of the initial summer transfer window. The early Club World Cup window will close at 7pm on Tuesday, June 10.
That is the deadline for teams involved in the revamped FIFA tournament to register players for the group stage. After signing Liam Delap with a view to taking him to America (instead of seeing him play in the Under-21 European Championship with England), Chelsea quickly turned their attentions elsewhere.
A right-footed left-winger has been a priority since January with Joao Felix and Christopher Nkunku unwanted by Enzo Maresca. Mykhailo Mudryk is still suspended indefinitely after testing positive for having a banned substance in his system in November last year.
Gittens emerged as a target for Chelsea but plans have accelerated into the summer. Chelsea opened talks with Borussia Dortmund over the 20-year-old last week.
He agreed personal terms with a seven-year contract on the table shortly after. No club-to-club understanding was reached.
That has since led to two bids, reports suggest, but both of those have been rejected. Dortmund are believed to have a release clause of £50million in the player's contract.
Chelsea have valued him at significantly less and their opening offer was worth closer to £29million. Dortmund, who are also in action at the Club World Cup, are in no rush to progress and believe that his value will rise with a bidding war later in the window.
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If no deal is possible then Chelsea will have to wait until June 16, at the earliest, to buy Gittens. That was how things looked heading into the mini-deadline day on Tuesday.
The chances of Chelsea completing a transfer for Gittens was then largely ruled out before French reporter Fabrice Hawkins revealed that a second bid of £42million had been submitted.
Once more that was quickly shot down with the Bundesliga side rejecting it out of hand. They are keen to get more than £50million for the player.
Chelsea have other attacking options on their shortlist including Alejandro Garnacho and Mohammed Kudus from West Ham. The latter was offered out to Chelsea earlier this month but only with a giant £85million price tag.
The Hammers are said to be interested Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Robert Sanchez. Chelsea have always had their eyes set on Gittens as they attempt to avoid entering the Club World Cup without a natural senior left winger.
Jadon Sancho played that role last season but has not agreed a permanent contract with Chelsea and will return to Manchester United. Tyrique George, Pedro Neto, and Noni Madueke have all played there for Maresca but only George favours a spot on the left rather than the right.