Enzo Maresca has gone down in Chelsea's estimation.
The Blues have taken a dim view on how the Italian conducted himself after he suddenly left them at the start of the year and was recently unveiled as Pep Guardiola's successor at Manchester City.
Chelsea received a decent compensation payout from their Premier League rivals, but Maresca is continuing to cause them problems.
Enzo Maresca complicating potential Chelsea deal
Everybody knows how busy the Blues have been, and will continue to be, this summer. Xabi Alonso needs several new additions and midfield is one of the priority areas.
Sunderland's Granit Xhaka is a genuine target with the Blues preparing to launch a second, and improved, offer for the Switzerland international.
And in addition to the Black Cats' captain, Eduardo Camavinga is also an option after Real Madrid made it clear they're opening to letting the Frenchman go.
Reports in Spain last week revealed the Blues, along with Manchester United, have held talks over the possibility of signing the 23-year-old.
However, more recent report from Marca claim City are now the club in the driving seat to bring the former Rennes midfielder to the Premier League after talks began.
Maresca could complete for a deal for Camavinga at the expense of his former club missing out.
Blessing in disguise
Even though there is no doubting Camavinga would be an exciting signing, Chelsea's lack of European football next season poses questions over why the player would leave agree to leave Real Madrid.
The midfielder has already won the UEFA Champions League twice with Los Blancos. European football is all he's known for several years now.
Unfortunately, after finishing 10th in the table last season, Chelsea won't be playing in any sort of UEFA competition next time out, and that factor alone would surely mean they'd have to pay well over the odds just to get a player of Camavinga's calibre to even consider joining them.
Alonso doesn't need players who only come to Stamford Bridge for the payout. The 44-year-old needs players who will buy into his ideas and system and give it their all, week in week out.
That requirement explains why the new Chelsea manager is so keen to wrap up a deal with Sunderland for Xhaka. The 33-year-old may not be a glamorous signing, but he's just the profile of player the Blues have been crying out for.
Add us as a preferred source on Google