The Blues have become aware of an opportunity to sign former Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum after their plans for deadline day ended in disappointment.

Chelsea had been closing in on a deal for Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara, only for the Ligue 1 club to pull out of the agreement at the last minute.

With Enzo Fernandez’s £125million move to Manchester City allowed to go through, Chelsea are now a player short in midfield and must decide whether to address the problem immediately or wait until January.

The club can still sign free agents outside the transfer window, but sources indicate the expectation had been that Chelsea would make do with the squad they have following the collapse of the Camara deal.

Reports linking Wijnaldum with a move to Stamford Bridge were played down by Chelsea officials on Wednesday.

However, there is an understanding that the 35-year-old’s quality and experience may be of interest to Xabi Alonso, particularly after the Chelsea head coach also brought in Jordan Henderson during the summer. 

Chelsea do have a number of options in central midfield. Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia, Valentin Barco and Henderson are the natural choices, but the club have used Reece James and Malo Gusto in midfield, too.

There is also a possibility of Chelsea experimenting further with their existing squad, with sources indicating that Jarrel Hato could be tried in midfield while teenager Reggie Watson may even get an opportunity. That would allow Chelsea to wait until January before making significant investment in the position.

Wijnaldum most recently played for Al Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia, having previously represented Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, Newcastle United, PSV and Feyenoord. He also won 90 caps for the Netherlands before retiring from international football.

For now, though, Chelsea appear set to show patience and trust their existing options after being left frustrated by Monaco’s late decision to withdraw from the Camara deal.