Chelsea have submitted a €130million (£115m) bid for Benfica's rising star Enzo Fernandez, according to reports in Portugal.
Fernandez has emerged as one of football's most promising talents after his impressive cameos for Argentina saw him win the Young Player of the Tournament award at the World Cup.
And - with a number of Premier League clubs interested - it appears the Blues have taken the first steps in their attempts to sign Fernandez but submitting a huge starting offer.
According to Record, the Premier League side have submitted a bid of €130million (£115m) to try and persuade Fernandez into a move to west London.
The midfielder arrived back to Benfica's training ground yesterday and has already had conversations with club president Rui Costa about potential plans to stay.
Costa, supposedly, is hopeful that the promise of winning their domestic league and a challenge for the Champions League trophy will be enough to convince the star.
Fernandez emerged as a transfer target for Graham Potter as the Chelsea boss looks to reduce the average age in his current squad.
As part of an overhaul of Chelsea under the new owner Todd Boehly, the London club have been focusing on investing in young players, at the expense of those who are older and more experienced.
With midfield veterans such as Jorginho and N'Golo Kante likely to be departing Stamford Bridge in the summer, Potter and Boehly have turned their attention to Fernandez - who won the World Cup with Argentina in Qatar earlier this month.
He was named Young Player of the Tournament during the international showpiece, and also got his name on the scoresheet twice - once with an own goal, and a second when he scored at the right end against Mexico.
As part of Chelsea's continual eye glaring into the future, the club are also close to sealing a £20m deal to sign 18-year-old central midfielder Andrey Santos from Vasco da Gama.
Graham Potter's side returned to league action with a 2-0 win over Bournemouth on Tuesday night.
First-half goals from Kai Havertz and Mason Mount wrapped up the comprehensive victory for the Blues in their return to Premier League football.
Potter's only concern will be the injury dealt to full-back Reece James - who had only just recovered from a knee issue that ruled him out of the World Cup.
The Blues boss will be hoping his side can maintain their form for the next league clash, when they travel to Nottingham Forest on New Years Day.
