The coronavirus pandemic may have put the breaks of European football over the past few months but it has most certainly not hindered the level of transfer speculation.
Ever since on-field matters were robbed of the chance to write the headlines back in mid-March, transfer gossip has taken centre stage, and it is still showing no signs of slowing down, even though when the summer transfer window may officially open for business remains a complete mystery.
And it is suffice to say that Chelsea have been right in the thick of of the transfer merry-go-round, with a number of names having been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge.
Amongst those to have been closely linked with a move to West London ahead of the next transfer window opening are the likes of Andre Onana, Nicolas Tagliafico, Jadon Sancho, Kai Havertz and Jesus Corona, with his agent confirming that the Blues have held transfer talks with the Mexican international.
The other name to throw into the ring, of course, is RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner, with the Germany international having been linked with a plethora of European clubs in recent months, including Chelsea.
Blues head coach Frank Lampard is desperate to bolster his attacking ranks ahead of next season and the Leipzig forward could be the ideal marksman, with his stock rising at a dramatic rate of knots after another successful season in the Bundesliga, scoring 24 league goals in 28 outings this term.
Liverpool have also been heavily linked with the 24-year-old but were reported to have pulled the plug on their interest in the striker earlier this week, refusing to meet his £52million release clause, offering the Blues encouragement that they may be able to get a deal done.
Should Chelsea pull off a deal to sign Werner, it would, of course, see the striker link up with fellow countryman Antonio Rudiger at Stamford Bridge.
And according to a report by German sports publication - Sport Bild - Rudiger is trying to convince Werner, who would have been aiming to lead the line for Germany at the European Championships this summer, to seal a switch to West London.
In a tweet, Christian Falk - the head of football at Sport Bild - said: "Update the English poker game @TimoWerner: Werner and @ToniRuediger are friends, played together @VfB. Rüdiger tries to convince the striker for @ChelseaFC."
Falk's claim was soon responded to by the official RB Leipzig Twitter account, who seemed to quickly bat away Falk's claims, posting a meme of somebody eating popcorn, suggesting that it would be interesting to sit back and see how it all played out.
Therefore, it appears apparent, certainly from RB Leipzig's perspective, that claims about Rudiger trying to convince Werner to seal a switch to Chelsea may not be true, with such a humorous, light-hearted response having been delivered.
