The story of Alexander Isak's move to Liverpool, in a deal worth £125 million, dominated last summer's transfer market. Manchester City's efforts to sign Enzo Fernandez may be heading down the same road.
Chelsea had agreed with Javier Bastari, the agent of the Argentine midfielder, in late May, on the possibility of Fernandez leaving for £120 million, with 14 August set as the deadline for submitting any offers.
That deadline came and went last Friday without a single official offer landing. Chelsea then told Fernandez's camp the player was not for sale during the current transfer window.
Isak's saga proved that these things rarely run smoothly. The Swedish striker sealed his British record move to Liverpool on the final day of the window, after weeks of Newcastle United insisting he was going nowhere.
Twelve months on, uncertainty still swirls around Fernandez's future, according to "BBC Sport" .
Manchester City awaits Chelsea's stance
Manchester City, under Enzo Maresca, Fernandez's former manager at Chelsea, remain keen to sign the 25-year-old, and the club believes Chelsea's board is still open to a deal.
City are also in advanced talks to sign Moroccan midfielder Ayoub Bouaddi for £85 million. They want to rebuild their midfield after Rodri agreed a move to Barcelona and Bernardo Silva left at the end of his contract.
Already through the door are midfielder Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for £116 million, a club record, winger Jeremy Monga from Leicester City for £12.5 million, and goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli from Marseille for £1.7 million.
Land both Fernandez and Bouaddi and Maresca will have overseen total spending north of £330 million.
Sales to fund the spending, and a tense relationship
Much of that outlay will be funded through the sale of Rodri and James Trafford, along with the potential departures of both Tijjani Reijnders and Savinho. Bernardo Silva, John Stones and Nathan Ake all left too, trimming the wage bill.
Spanish reports suggest Chelsea remain open, behind the scenes, to selling Fernandez. The club has enlisted the prominent agent Jorge Mendes, who also represents winger Pedro Neto, to help settle the player's future.
Fernandez had tried to move to Real Madrid earlier in the summer, but the attempt failed, despite the Spanish club later denying any interest.
Complicating matters further is the tense relationship between Fernandez and the Chelsea fans. The player was jeered when he came on as a substitute in the friendly that ended 3-1 to his side over Real Sociedad. Another group of fans backed him and cheered him on, and the split in the stands returned with almost every touch of the ball.
Chelsea remain confident they can reintegrate the Argentine midfielder, and they showed their intent by handing him the captain's armband when he replaced Reece James last weekend.
Doubts linger over Fernandez's future all the same, along with fears of the disruption a late transfer could cause, especially if new manager Xabi Alonso decides to sign a replacement.
Will Chelsea wait until the final moments?
The parallels with Isak's summer are hard to miss. Newcastle appeared to stand firm in their refusal to let the player go, rejecting an initial £110 million offer from Liverpool, even as everyone knew the Swedish striker was training away from the squad that had signed him from Real Sociedad.
So it went all summer, until Liverpool sealed the deal just two and a half hours after the window shut. Newcastle had already strengthened their attack, signing Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart for £69 million, a club record, along with Yoane Wissa from Brentford for £55 million. Neither player delivered, and Newcastle endured a disappointing season.
Alonso leaned on a 3-4-2-1 during pre-season, and it worked. It closely mirrors the style the Spaniard used to guide Bayer Leverkusen to their historic league and cup double in 2024.
Moises Caicedo and Reece James formed the midfield pairing against Real Sociedad at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with Jordan Henderson out through injury. Romeo Lavia came off the bench, while Valentin Barco and Dario Essugo stayed on it without appearing.
Chelsea are blessed with midfield options, especially with the club out of European competition this season, which means they could cope with Fernandez's exit without necessarily signing a direct replacement. The club knows it needs to shift plenty of players before the window closes.
Potential alternatives in Chelsea's plans
Chelsea did submit a £64 million offer for Alex Scott of Bournemouth earlier in the summer, and reports suggest they were offered the chance to sign Arsenal midfielder Myles Lewis-Skelly. The club has also been linked with Adam Wharton of Crystal Palace and Lamine Camara of Monaco.
Bournemouth insist Scott is not for sale at any price, while word has it that Lewis-Skelly, who assisted the first goal in Arsenal's Community Shield win over Manchester City, is desperate to stay in north London.
So the question remains. Will Chelsea hold their nerve, resist Manchester City and bring Fernandez back into the fold, or throw the door open to his exit?
That answer looks set to be one of the defining stories of the final two weeks of the summer window.