Chelsea's transfer saga surrounding Benfica's Enzo Fernandez dictated much of the early flow of the torrent that has been the January transfer window, with the Blues having spent exorbitant amounts at the season's midpoint...
What's the word?
Following Fernandez's escapades with Argentina at the World Cup in Qatar last month, a multitude of top outfits were vying for his signature, but it is the opulence of Chelsea and owner Todd Boehly to have left the west London club frontrunners for a deal this month.
The Blues did lodge an €85m (£77m) bid for the maestro several weeks ago, swiftly rejected by his Portuguese team, and are now poised to return in the dying embers of the transfer window to complete a lucrative spending spree since the summer.
According to The Telegraph's Matt Law, the club have now reopened talks with the 22-year-old prodigy, who has himself been pushing for a transfer to Stamford Bridge to continue the mesmerising and meteoric rise since arriving in Europe only last year.
Repeat Van Dijk masterclass
Chelsea boss Graham Potter now yields a team studded with an abundance of talent; the club have parted with a reported £431m since Boehly assumed ownership at the end of last season, with Fernandez and Christopher Nkunku - who has had his £52.4m release clause activated - only set to send the spree into uncharted territory.
However, landing Fernandez might just be the crème de la crème to thread it all together, weaving the vast conglomeration of talented Chelsea players together and indeed serving as the nucleus of a new era at the club that hints at nothing short of astounding brilliance.
As per Sofascore, the £48.3m-rated gem has recorded a remarkable average rating of 7.53 this season in the Liga Portugal, while also recording a rating of 7.10 at the World Cup with his triumphant nation, where he also dazzled on an individual basis and picked up the Best Young Player award.
The ten-cap star has completed a remarkable average of 85.9% of his passes since his career debut, also impressing from a defensive standpoint with 2.3 tackles and 0.9 interceptions per outing, as per Whoscored, which illustrates an innate prowess for the all0-encompassing work that is required for first-rate midfielders in the modern game.
With his arrival at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea could replicate Liverpool's deal to sign Virgil van Dijk for £75m at the midpoint of the 2017/18 season, which ostensibly served as the catalyst for the ensuing prosperous fortunes under Jurgen Klopp's tutelage.
With Van Dijk's defensive calibre and leadership proving to be invaluable for the Reds as they secured their maiden Premier League triumph and won the Champions League, among other major honours, Fernandez must indeed seek to follow the blueprint the Dutch defender has crafted in serving as the perfect January transfer.
And Fernandez, who is already amounting a commendable wealth of experience and pedigree at the highest level, could be the "game changer" - as dubbed by journalist Roy Nemer - for Potter's Blues, currently languishing in tenth place in the English top-flight, and ignite a fierce fire that will rage on for years in west London.
With the inception of a potential super-team being crafted with inflexible resolve and unwavering might in the transfer market, Fernandez would be the glistening gem to serve as the centrepiece for the new era at Chelsea, and like Van Dijk at Liverpool, his January arrival could just spark the life into the club to transcend aspiring competitors to spine-chilling title contenders.