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Chelsea are still in the market for another centre-back despite having eight on the books.
The Blues have their reasons as they attempt to sign 20-year-old Rennes defender Jeremy Jacquet - who appears to be their preferred target - despite the French club's reluctance to sell him in the middle of the season.
There is, however, a broader question: why sign another central defender at all?
Chelsea have spent £222.4m on the position since BlueCo — the company owned by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital — bought the club in 2022.
Their current options include Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah, Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile, Josh Acheampong, Jorrel Hato and Axel Disasi.
In fairness, Colwill is out with a long-term injury, Hato has primarily played at left-back, and Disasi is "back in the group", according to head coach Liam Rosenior, having been in the so-called 'bomb squad'.
Yet, Chelsea would still ideally like to sell Disasi, and Rosenior also revealed Tosin has suffered a hamstring injury "which is going to rule him out for the next few weeks".
BBC Sport looks at why Chelsea are considering signing a centre-back.
Chelsea attempted to sign the now‑Real Madrid defender Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth in the summer but were unable to do so, and then struggled to identify a suitable alternative.
BBC Sport understands that they want a defender who is exceptional on the ball and able to build attacks from what is described as the central centre‑back role in Colwill's absence. Chelsea also say they want to add physicality to the squad, with Jacquet standing at 6ft 3ins.
They were open to signing such a player in August but when Maresca publicly expressed frustration at the lack of progress following Colwill's injury, the response from senior figures was effectively - tell us which suitable player is available. No such option was put forward. His public comments are also said to have weakened Chelsea's negotiating position when they subsequently pursued targets.
Those inside the club believe their stance was reinforced by key rivals Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham and Newcastle also struggling to bring in central defenders at the same time. This summer is expected to be a significant market for the position, with several leading players likely to move.
That rationale has still been met with external criticism. Some argue that neither Badiashile, Disasi nor Tosin have proved themselves to be elite-level performers, while Hato is improving but found his first few months at Chelsea challenging.
Fofana has battled injuries throughout his time at the club, although has only missed matches due to concussion and illness this season.
Any new signing must be carefully balanced to avoid blocking the pathways of highly regarded, young centre‑backs such as Acheampong, Strasbourg loanee Mamadou Sarr and Dortmund loanee Aaron Anselmino.
Asked about Sarr - who won the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal on Sunday and was previously coached by Rosenior at Strasbourg - Chelsea's head coach said: "It was a crazy game. He performed really, really well. It doesn't surprise me from working with him.
"I won't speak about players or their futures because I have a lot of respect for Strasbourg. I have a lot of respect for Gary O'Neil and what they're doing there.
"He has amazing potential and an amazing career ahead of him. But in terms of our plans for the future or now, it's not the right time to speak about that."
Chelsea's attack has outperformed their defence this season, and a lack of solidity has left them inconsistent and unable to make significant progress on last year's campaign.
Manchester City signed Marc Guehi for £20m this week — a fee that appears good value for an active England international.
However, City saw off rival interest by moving early, completing the deal six months before his contract expired while offering what sources describe as "free‑agent terms". That means the overall package cost far more than the headline fee, with substantial agent costs, signing‑on bonuses and a reported wage of £300,000 a week.
Had Chelsea matched those wages, Guehi would have become the club's highest‑paid player, overtaking captain Reece James on £250,000 a week.
The terms effectively ruled out not just Chelsea but also Liverpool, Arsenal and Bayern Munich, all of whom were interested in signing Guehi on a free transfer in the summer.
Such a salary could also have posed challenges inside the Chelsea dressing room, with Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Levi Colwill all understood to be seeking discussions over improved contracts. Chelsea, however, want to delay any renewal talks until the summer.
Some at Chelsea also felt stylistically that Guehi was too similar to Colwill.
There remains a debate over whether the club's efforts to reduce the wage bill since Roman Abramovich's ownership are limiting their chances of competing at the very top. James is believed to be the only current first‑team player earning more than £200,000 a week and, although figures for the 2024–25 season put the annual wage bill at £338m - the fourth‑highest in the Premier League - it is down from £404m the previous year.
Chelsea must also be mindful of Uefa's financial controls. The club needs to grow its revenues in order to raise wages, with 72.2% of income currently spent on salaries - the highest ratio among the traditional big six.
Insiders say their outdated Stamford Bridge ground remains a major factor holding the club back because it cannot generate the sorts of revenues that rival clubs can with new stadiums. Chelsea still don't have a front-of-shirt sponsor, and they have become heavily reliant on balancing the books through player trading.
Qualifying for the Champions League is the single biggest route to improving revenues, and player contracts are now strongly incentivised around qualification, making a top‑four or top‑five finish the club's primary target for the past two seasons.
