Mauricio Pochettino officially begins work as Chelsea head coach on Saturday, but the Argentinian will no doubt already be busy giving his input with regards to transfer activity.
The Blues have already released and sold numerous players, centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly among them after joining Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal in a £17m deal.
Many more are set to follow, with transfer expert Fabrizio Romano suggesting long-serving defender Cesar Azpilicueta could join Inter Milan before the start of the new Premier League season.
That will leave Chelsea potentially on the lookout for cover at both centre-back and right-back, though one of their targets can tick both boxes should the smart transfer be pulled off.
Who is Chelsea target Axel Disasi?
Disasi only turned 25 in March, meaning his best years are still ahead of him, yet he already boasts 99 appearances in Ligue 1 with Reims and more recently Monaco, with whom he has spent the past three seasons.
The four-cap France international played in all 38 of Monaco's league games last season, starting all but one of those, while also starting a further eight games in the Europa League.
Most comfortable playing in the heart of defence, Disasi is also capable of shifting out to the right, where he occasionally provided cover last season.
However, while Chelsea are interested in snapping up Disasi, RMC Sport reporter Fabrice Hawkins claims Arsenal and Manchester United are also in for the €40m (£34m) defender, with the latter supposedly leading the way for his signature.
Would Axel Disasi be a good option for Chelsea?
Disasi has shown he can fill in at right-back, which is a massive bonus should Azpilicueta indeed depart, but Pochettino will no doubt consider him a replacement for Koulibaly – albeit at exactly double the price.
The Frenchman has an eye for goal, as reflected by his five goals in all competitions last season, on top of four assists. As per The Analyst, that ranks Disasi in the top 16% of all defenders for goals scored across Europe's top five leagues last season.
Similarly, he is in the top 16% for touches in the opposition box and top 21% for shots. To put those figures in some perspective, Koulibaly was in the top 35% for touches in the opposition box and 39% for shots. Azpilicueta, incidentally, was in the top 13% and 42% respectively.
A defender's first job is to defend, of course, but having the ability to cause danger when going forward is always welcome. Besides, Disasi is also more than capable of keeping the opposition out, averaging 1.86 interceptions per 90 minutes last season, as per FBref, compared to 1.41 for Koulibaly.
Disasi also put his 6 foot 3 frame to good use, winning 2.56 aerial duels per 90 minutes, whereas Koulibaly – not exactly small at 6 foot 1 – won 1.83.
Just as importantly for any defender these days, Disasi (83.3%) was also similar to Koulibaly (87%) in terms of pass completion rate, meaning he can help play the ball out from the back.
As pointed out by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Disasi also has pace, athleticism, tenacity and timing, making him out as a "hidden gem" prior to his move to Monaco, one who "was born to play in England".
It may well be that he has the chance to show exactly that this coming season. Chelsea will just hope it is them, rather than Arsenal or Man United, who get there first.