Chelsea have the power to sway players and it's helped them in the last couple of weeks of the transfer window, including on deadline day. The Blues managed to turn Wesley Fofana's head earlier than Leicester had originally planned to entertain bids for him, Marc Cucurella moved from Brighton after just one-year on the south-coast and now the latest move is being elevated forward as well.
With just one day of the window to go, football.london understands that Edson Alvarez was the subject of a £43m bid from Chelsea and it wasn't as rogue as previously thought. Chelsea had been tracking the player throughout the window and injuries throughout the squad only emphasised the late need to bring in a new player for Tuchel's midfield.
Although the window in the Netherlands is now shut, closing one day before England, Ajax have moved quickly to bring in a new defensive midfielder, and that has only accelerated in importance after Alvarez refused to train with his club on deadline day.
READ MORE: Late Rafael Leao move, £43m Edson Alvarez bid - Chelsea transfer deadline day state of play
The Dutch side had been in talks for Florian Grillitsch for a while, not necessarily indicating he is a replacement for Alvarez, but given the situation it could help Chelsea's cause. They are now in a situation though where the shoe is on somebody elses foot.
In recent times Chelsea's own players have been known to go rogue in order to force a transfer, with the two most high-key players being Diego Costa and Thibaut Courtois. Alvarez himself could yet make some of Ajax's decision for them with more and more players attempting to push through deals for themselves.
Although the Wesley Fofana transfer was done relatively well between Chelsea and Leicester, the player did end up being relegated from first team training, refusing to turn up one day for Brendan Rodgers in order to make his stance on a move perfectly clear. For Alvarez this is even more important given the late notice he has.
It's also a path that Antony and Mohammed Kudus both followed this summer at Ajax in their own bids to leave. Antony got his wish, Kudus didn't and now Chelsea are waiting nevously to hear how their bid was received.
In 2017 it was Costa that would not return to training in London after Antonio Conte's infamous text message saying he wasn't needed. Courtois would then take a similar stance just one year later, refusing to come back to the club to force through a deadline day move to Real Madrid.
Fofana's own move proved his determination and commitement to joining Chelsea whilst fans at the time were frustrated by Courtois' actions. When the shoe is on the other foot the move often looks different, if Chelsea are able to push through a late move for someone as potentially important as Alvarez then his move to skip training and push for an exit will be lauded by Blues fans.
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