As Chelsea prepare to jet off for their United States tour later this week, the make-up of Mauricio Pochettino's squad still remains unclear.
In what has been yet another very busy transfer window, more players are expected to depart and arrive at Stamford Bridge in the coming days.
What is the latest Chelsea transfer news?
Two senior players have so far arrived in West London this summer, as Christopher Nkunku has joined from RB Leipzig and Nicolas Jackson was brought in from Villarreal.
Those signings have helped to bolster Chelsea's underperforming forward line, but the newly-appointed Argentina head coach has seen the likes of Kai Havertz and Mason Mount depart in terms of attacking players, whilst Christian Pulisic's £20m switch to AC Milan is on the verge of going through.
The former Borussia Dortmund ace has hardly made the biggest of impressions across his four seasons at Chelsea, but his departure could see the Premier League heavyweights bring in another player before the window shuts on September 1st.
According to ESPN, Chelsea are now preparing an opening offer for 19-year-old Lyon sensation Rayan Cherki, who is under contract until 2025 and is valued by the French club in the region of €40 (£34m), making him a feasible target for the big-spending Blues.
Is Ryan Cherki an upgrade on Christian Pulisic?
Both players are versatile attackers, each capable of playing on the left, right or through the middle.
However, the majority of Cherki's appearances last season came in attacking midfield, as per WhoScored, while most of Pulisic's outings were on the left.
Still, comparisons can be made between the two given their roles in their respective sides last season were effectively the same – to score goals and create them.
Pulisic endured a frustrating campaign in which he was unable to hold down a starting spot at Chelsea – explaining why they are happy to sell to Milan – and was involved in just 0.22 goals per 90 minutes in the Premier League (one goal, one assist), as per FBref.
The up-and-coming whiz, meanwhile, scored four and set up six more for a return of 0.48 goal involvements per 90 in Ligue 1. Not only that, the France U21 star was involved in 6.15 shot-creating actions per 90 – which factors in passes and take-ons leading to a shot – compared to 2.64 for Pulisic.
While Pulisic does come out better in terms of defensive metrics such as tackles won per 90 (0.66 v 0.38) and blocks (0.88 v 0.29), Cherki has a much better take-on success rate (50.3% v 29.5%) and is far superior when it comes to carries per 90 (55 v 32.9).
Lyon expert Nicholas Mamo nicely summed up Cherki's style in an interview with football.london when describing him as a "very creative and unpredictable attacking midfielder", one who would undoubtedly be an upgrade on what Chelsea had in that position last season.
Pulisic – five years older than Cherki at 24 – is not solely to blame for his Chelsea career not going entirely to plan, but both the American and his soon-to-be-former club can now swiftly move on.