Chelsea's ongoing contract saga has handed Thomas Tuchel a unique challenge ahead of the upcoming transfer window, on and off the pitch.
Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger both see their current deals at Stamford Bridge expire at the end of the season, handing the Blues an inclination to play their hand in January.
The centre-half duo will become eligible to officially begin pre-contractual negations with foreign sides in no more than three weeks.
While the possibility that Chelsea could lose either for free has been no secret, the west Londoners are yet to find a solution.
Marina Granovskaia enjoyed a successful scouting mission over the summer and seemingly identified the successor who would've extinguished the Blues' contract inferno.
But, the European Champions' naivety was exploited and Chelsea saw Jules Kounde slip through their fingers, planting a problem that would only break above the surface before it's too late.
Sevilla's 22-year-old centre-half was linked with a move to west London over the summer and the Blues had verbally agreed a deal in principle worth £43 million, according to The Athletic.
However, the simultaneous sale of Kurt Zouma saw the Spanish side's sporting director, Monchi, increase the asking price and demand that Kounde's £68 million release clause is met, as per reports.
Chelsea halted their pursuit of the France international and Trevoh Chalobah's breakthrough under Tuchel plastered paper over the cracks.
The Cobham graduate has done a superb job of shouldering the demands that would've been asked of Kounde had he joined, but now the two must be prepared to coexist.
Chelsea have the opportunity to repeat their clever Kai Havertz transfer trick on the French defender following Sevilla's exit from the Champions League.
Like Bayer Leverkusen in 2019/20, the Spanish side finished third in their group and now await their fate in the Europa League.
Whether it be the financial implications of a European top-flight exit or mounting pressure from Kounde, who could feel as if his ambitions aren't being met, Monchi's hand has been weakened.
With substantial leverage now in Chelsea's favour, Granovskaia could look to pull on the same heartstrings that lured Havertz to Stamford Bridge.
Follow our Carefree Chelsea trends writer Jake Stokes on Twitter to get involved in the discussion and give us your thoughts in the comments section below.
