After selling Enzo Fernández and Andrey Santos in the summer and failing to sign a replacement, Chelsea's midfield options this season have been limited.
The Blues were interested in both Manu Kone and Lamine Camara on deadline day but failed to sign either, especially Camara, who had completed a medical; the deal fell through later that day.
Xabi Alonso used an eighth midfield combination of the season in their 1-0 loss to Sunderland, playing Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and Jordan Henderson in the middle of the park, possibly highlighting that Alonso could be struggling to find an identity.
Chelsea were also pursuing Bournemouth's Alex Scott, with the Cherries valuing the England international at £100 million, but the club were never willing to sell him. Their stance has now changed; whilst that's the asking price, that may not be how much Chelsea end up paying for him.
Part of the reason why Alonso has been tinkering with his midfield partnerships has been the unavailability of Moises Caicedo, with the Ecuadorian only recently returning from injury, something that he hasn't been used to during his time at Stamford Bridge.
Arsenal's Martin Zubimendi is someone who Xabi Alonso admires, with rumours floating around during the summer that Chelsea were interested in the Spaniard, but Arsenal were keen to keep him.
The 27-year-old has been struggling for game time this season and hasn't started a Premier League game since April. He's only played 100 minutes for Mikel Arteta's side in the Premier League and would provide some much-needed support and backup for Caicedo and Lavia, even though he is a slightly different profile from the Belgian.
Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are both monitoring him, according to The Independent. The Spain international is reportedly one of the top options available for the next transfer window.
Whilst Zubimendi might be a less attractive option than Scott, but might be a better fit for Alonso's side. Chelsea's midfield has struggled to keep the ball consistently, and Zubimendi would definitely add to that, even if Scott could be a better long-term buy for Chelsea.
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