N'Golo Kante is on the verge of signing a lucrative contract with Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad and sealing his Chelsea exit after seven years at Stamford Bridge.
The Frenchman is out of contract with the Blues at the end of this month and has opted against prolonging his stay in West London, instead opting for a two-year deal thought to be worth around £86m a season with an option for a further year.
Delegates from Al-Ittihad flew to London to hold talks with Kante on Tuesday and reached an agreement with the former Leicester man. This, in turn, could spell bad news for Arsenal and their transfer hopes this summer.
The Gunners are currently devoting a lot of their immediate attention to their pursuit of West Ham captain Declan Rice, who is thought to be equally keen on a move to the Emirates. Mikel Arteta has made the England international his priority target, but there are other names on the Spaniard's transfer wish-list.
One of those names is Moises Caciedo, the in-demand Brighton midfielder attracting plenty of interest from a number of clubs as a result of his stellar performances for the Seagulls.
By now, Arsenal's desire to sign Caicedo is well-documented. It was only as recently as last January when the Gunners had multiple offers for the Ecuadorian snubbed.
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The highest offer put forward was thought to be around £70million and was swiftly rejected by Brighton, who are expecting more for one of their prized assets.
More is exactly what they might get, but not from Arsenal. Chelsea are now prowling the market for a suitable heir to Kante's midfield throne and have also been keeping tabs on Caicedo for some time.
Under the ownership of the Todd Boehly-led consortium Clearlake, Chelsea have already proven they are not afraid to splash the cash, especially at the expense of 'big-six' rivals Arsenal.
It has only been six months since the Blues pipped the Gunners to the signing of former Shakhtar Donetsk ace Mykhaylo Mudryk when for much of the January transfer window the Ukraine international seemed destined for the Emirates.
Chelsea could repeat a similar trick this summer and try to snatch Caicedo from under the noses of Arsenal.
Amid rumours Matteo Kovacic is also calling time on his Chelsea career, the Blues will be well aware that midfield is where they desperately need the most strengthening and need to look no further than Caicedo.
The 21-year-old signed a fresh contract at the Amex after the last transfer window, but is believed to have a gentleman's agreement with Roberto De Zerbi that means he will be allowed to leave if a bid north of £80m comes in from any club.
