Whilst Germany international Kai Havertz continues to dominate the gossip columns as far as Chelsea's transfer activity is concerned ahead of next season, the Blues have been linked with bringing an old face back to Stamford Bridge.
The man in question is Bournemouth and Netherlands centre-back Nathan Ake, who left the Blues on a permanent basis in June 2017 to join the Cherries.
Over the last three years, Ake has grown into one of the most consistently performing defenders in the Premier League, with his performances rarely going unnoticed.
But with Bournemouth facing the prospect of suffering relegation to the Championship this season, with the club currently inside the bottom three and on a run of eight matches without a win, the likelihood of them being able to keep hold of the 25-year-old is slim.
Despite Chelsea having sold him three years ago after more than five years at Stamford Bridge, the Blues, who will be looking to build on Saturday evening's 3-0 win over Watford when they face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Tuesday evening, have been linked with re-signing him this summer.
Head coach Frank Lampard could be on the hunt for a new central-defender, as he has struggled to nail down a perfect partnership this season.
According to a report last month, Chelsea would consider the idea of looking to re-sign Ake for a cut-price deal if Bournemouth were to be relegated.
However, Chelsea's hopes of bringing Ake back to West London this summer appear to have been dealt a potential blow following Manchester United's 5-2 triumph over the Cherries on Saturday at Old Trafford.
After being left to reflect on another disappointing result, Ake was spoken to by United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as the duo headed back towards the tunnel following the full-time whistle.
Ake's conversation with the Norwegian was picked up by the BT Sport cameras and one eagle-eyed Manchester United supporter successfully picked up what Solskjaer was saying.
The United boss told Ake: "We need a left-footed centre-back, keep going."
United, too, have been previously linked with securing Ake's signature and this conversation suggests that Solskjaer could be very keen on the idea of taking him to Old Trafford.
For all of the Red Devils' attacking flair in recent months, which has been inspired by the arrival of Portugal international Bruno Fernandes in January, they still look slightly shaky at the back.
United, of course, signed Harry Maguire for the right-side of their central defence last summer, but could be tempted to add another option ahead of next season in the shape of Ake.
