It has been quite a while since Chelsea made a statement signing. One could argue that it was their move for Moises Caicedo, after Liverpool had already agreed a Premier League record deal with Brighton & Hove Albion. Or bringing in Enzo Fernandez a month after his World Cup triumph with Argentina.
Both were young players at that point in time though, who were not exactly proven. If it comes to strictly signing superstars. It was perhaps the move for Romelu Lukaku, fresh off his Serie A-winning campaign with Inter Milan, when he was being heralded as one of the best strikers in the world.
Of course, we all know that it did not turn out to be a success. But at least it showed a kind of ambition which we have never seen under the Clearlake-Boehly ownership. That could be about to change if reports coming out of Spain are on the mark.
As reported by Fichajes, Chelsea continue to inquire persistently about Vinicius Jr and is working on a proposal that would reach €150 million. The offer would be structured as a fixed fee of €125 million plus an additional €25 million in performance-related bonuses.
Chelsea readying record bid for Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr
Vinicius is a vital part of this Real Madrid team. There is no doubt about that. But there are question marks over his continuity in Spain. Negotiations to extend the Brazilian's contract are practically at a standstill, according to the same report.
Vinicius' form appears to have suffered this season too. And it is safe to say that things cannot continue in this manner for long.
Real Madrid will know better than most the problems of allowing a player's contract to run deep, having signed the likes of Kylian Mbappe, David Alaba, Antonio Rudiger, and several others as free agents in recent times. Could a move to Chelsea happen?