Despite signing Kalidou Koulibaly, Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana, Chelsea were in the market for another group of elite tier centre-backs to add to their ageing defence over the summer.
After Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen both left Stamford Bridge on free deals following the running down of their contract - partly down to negotiations being on hold as Chelsea were unable to buy or sell players as result of the restrictions placed on the club in the wake of the UK Government imposing sanctions on Roman Abramovich - the Blues heavily invested in their backline.
The three signings they ended up with weren't even the tip of the iceberg though as deals were missed out on for Matthijs de Ligt, Presnel Kimpembe and Joska Gvardiol throughout the window.
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The trio they ended up with is still extremely strong but also represents the amount of work that Todd Boehly and Thomas Tuchel, at the time, felt needed to be done. Even now it represents a challenge as Cesar Azpilicueta struggles to find his previous levels, Thiago Silva - albeit ageing like Benjamin Button - turns 38 and Koulibaly is 31.
This is why such a strong emphasis was placed on the backline and there was no surprise to see Inter Milan's star defender Milan Skriniar on their list. The Blues were interested in the Slovakian but no bid was made as several of Europe's top teams waited to see if anything would give from the Inter Milan's side.
With the 27-year-old becoming a free agent next summer there is a chance to do a cut-price January deal or get him on a free in one years time, much like Real Madrid did with Rudiger, and now Chelsea could repeat the trick themselves, although it is reported by the Sun that Real Madrid themselves, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Tottenham will all also be interested in bringing the defender on board.
Chelsea could hold an unlikely advantage though. With Romelu Lukaku currently on loan at San Siro this season there are several avenues the Blues could explore. One would be hoping that, in Joe Cole and Eden Hazard style, the Belgian gives a good word about the club in a bid to persuade Skriniar, but that may well fall down due to Lukaku's soured relationship with the club after an unceremonious return season last year. Lukaku, who won Serie A with Skriniar two years ago, could still be key though.
Although the new owners and internal structure, including a new manager, may open the door for Lukaku to come back, Chelsea may well prefer to work a deal that includes Lukaku staying in Italy whilst Skriniar comes to London.
It would involve a lot of moving factors but given the demand for the defender and Lukaku's love of Milan, it could be another creative avenue for Todd Boehly to explore.
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