Chelsea's centre-back stocks can both change a lot and also not very much at all in the coming months. On one hand they might sell three and buy at least two. On the other, there may only be one change to the current options under Enzo Maresca.
Firstly, Axel Disasi is expected to leave. He was free to go last summer and that did not change come January. Aston Villa and a last-minute loan saved him from sitting on the bench for the rest of the season, as he had largely done before then.
Trevoh Chalobah's future still appears to be away from Stamford Bridge no matter what he does. The Cobham graduate has not stood out since returning from Crystal Palace over the winter but has held his own in an unsettled team.
Then there is Renato Veiga. He is at Juventus for now but given that Chelsea were happy for him to depart permanently just six months after being signed, it wouldn't be a surprise for that to come in the summer instead.
The list of players they like for possible additions is long. Marc Guehi is among them, so is Ousmane Diomande of Sporting CP. Then there is Dean Huijsen.
He is the flavour of the month. After a hugely impressive first season at Bournemouth, the Spain defender looks set to be on the move again.
Coming in from Juventus for a cut-price of just £12million, his £50million release clause is almost certain to be triggered soon after the summer transfer window opens. If it doesn't happen in the new Club World Cup window, it will just 10 days later.
Huijsen has been one of the best centre-backs in the league this season and was a key part in Bournemouth's rise to outside European challengers. All of this is despite only making two starts before December. Since then he has been ever present, following an injury crisis in the squad.
Two-footed, tall, and aggressive with his ball progression in dribbling or passing, Huijsen is the archetypal modern defender. He can cover space in one-on-ones, pressure opponents with gaps behind him, and then drive forward in possession.
He has an array of passes in his locker off either foot and loves to punch them forward, breaking the lines. At 20 years old, there is no shock that Chelsea are well in the race to buy him.
Huijsen fits the desired age bracket of the Clearlake Capital-Todd Boehly ownership and Chelsea have a good relationship with Ali Barat, the man who took Huijsen to England in the first place. Barat represents Nicolas Jackson and has brokered deals with other players involving Chelsea recently as well. There is a lot to like, here.
However, one who may not be as thrilled with this news is Josh Acheampong. He is 18 and stands as a strong one-on-one defender with ambitious passing range and a desire to surge through the thirds on the ball. He is a little over 12 months behind Huijsen in age but the experience gap is widening.
Albeit Huijsen was not a regular at Juventus or Roma before moving to Bournemouth - far from it - he has been at a club where his game time is more assured. Chelsea have also had injury problems this season and Acheampong hasn't been turned to as often as he would have liked.
Despite entering the season as the logical third-choice right-sided centre-back (behind Tosin Adarabioyo and Wesley Fofana) and third-choice at right-back (behind Reece James and Malo Gusto), Acheampong did not get the minutes his ability really deserved. Instead, Chelsea froze him out of action across the senior and youth teams in a bit to push him towards signing a new contract.
In the face of interest from Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and others, Chelsea wanted commitment from Acheampong before rewarding him with appearances. In December, he penned a four-and-a-half-year deal.
Acheampong was soon in the team and started three games in quick succession. He found himself in the Premier League XI as well but just as swiftly was out of it. Maresca's use of a strong Conference League squad has seen him not utilised in Europe's third tier as much as many had initially thought, either.
Now, with Chelsea chasing another young centre-back, it is he that is most threatened by Huijsen. Even with the injury problems for Wesley Fofana, it is hard to see how Chelsea develop two players of such an age in the same team whilst also incorporating Ishe Samuels-Smith and challenging at the top end of the league.
Maresca was glowing about Acheampong after the first leg against Legia Warsaw but that does not necessarily mean it will transpire into being favoured over Huijsen or even his teammates.
"The one I fell in love with tonight was Josh Acheampong,’ Maresca said, notably after a question about Tyrique George. "For me potentially he can be a fantastic player for this club and in football in general.
"Since we started, I am in love with him, but tonight he showed he can be a very good player for this club." He added: "A good player shows you they can play in different positions. He was full-back: good, midfielder: good, central defender: good. It’s not about playing in that position, or that position. If you are a good player, you can play in different positions.
"He can be good in different positions. The best thing about Josh also is he is open. He wants to learn. Full-back? Okay, no problem. What do I have to do? Perfect. Midfielder? What do I have to do? This is a player who wants to play in all positions, who wants to learn. Josh is doing that since we started."
Chelsea are actively pursuing a player who would be considerably in the way of Acheampong right now, though. Huijsen may well be better but that is to be expected of someone who is older and has played almost all of that age difference in first-team Premier League football.
Offer Acheampong even 1,000 minutes (let alone the 2,000 of Huijsen) and how good would he be? It is impossible to answer the question but there is a strong chance Chelsea would not be looking for another centre-back, that is for sure.
This is not going to stop them from going after Huijsen. It is not even about deciding who is better in the short or long-term future. But Chelsea would once again be sensible to fully evaluate their internal options before splashing out £50million on Huijsen.
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