The Blues have made just one signing so far in the summer transfer window as boss Thomas Tuchel looks to build a squad ready to challenge for the Premier League title
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Chelsea finally got their summer transfer business underway this week with the signing of third-choice goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli.
And director Marina Granovskaia should look at a current member of the Blues squad to gain inspiration for a transfer trick that has worked in the past.
The Blues are attempting to build a squad ready to challenge for the Premier League title after Thomas Tuchel guided them to winning their second Champions League last season.
The German has been eyeing reinforcements in midfield, defence and at striker, but the Chelsea hierarchy have so far yet to hand him any star signings.
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Tuchel has been chasing Borussia Dortmund forward Erling Haaland, with Sevilla defender Jules Kounde also understood to be close to completing a move to Stamford Bridge.
But rather than putting her full efforts into wrapping up deals for those two stars, Granovskaia is reportedly set to make a relatively low-key addition in her next piece of transfer business.
According to RMC Sport, the Blues are now pursuing the signing of Saint-Etienne youngster Lucas Gourna-Douath.
The 17-year-old is being eyed by Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen, with Serie A side Atalanta believed to have already submitted a bid.
Gourna-Douath only made his senior debut for Les Verts last season, becoming a regular in the team which finished 11 th in Ligue 1.
He was mainly used off the bench by boss Claude Puel, featuring mostly in a defensive midfield role for the French side.
His performances have impressed many, earning himself a strong reputation in his home country.
But Saint-Etienne are facing an increasingly challenging battle to keep him at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.
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While they are understood to be keen to hand him a contract extension, they could come under pressure to sell with the midfielder having just two years remaining on his current deal.
Gourna-Douath status appears to have piqued the interest of Chelsea, who will now be looking to repeat a transfer trick from January 2014.
Much like the young Frenchman, Kurt Zouma was handed his first minutes in senior football by Sanit-Etienne.
He spent two and a half seasons with Les Verts, becoming a regular in the heart of defence after being handed his debut by Christophe Galtier in August 2011.
His impressive performances attracted the eye of Chelsea, who paid a fee in the region of £12million for him in January 2014.
Zouma was only 19-years-old at the time and was sent back on loan to the French club for the remainder of the season.
But on his return to Stamford Bridge, he played a part in two Premier League title wins, and started the 2015 League Cup final in which the Blues defeated Tottenham.
Though his Chelsea career has tailed off since then, with the 26-year-old set for a departure this summer, the Blues only have to look at him for an example of how quickly a Saint-Etienne youngster can settle in.
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