Chelsea will swoop for Inter Milan midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia - if John Obi Mikel leaves the club in January.
Mikel has just over six months to run on his current contract at Stamford Bridge and is said to be keen on a new challenge.
And that could happen in January with the Nigerian's national team coach, Gernot Rohr, revealing the 29-year-old is in talks with Marseille.
If Mikel was to complete a move to the French club in January it would leave Chelsea a man down in the midfield department.