Real Madrid and England right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold could surprisingly be the next big-name player to move to Chelsea.

During the summer, Chelsea signed Marco Palestra from Atalanta. Nevertheless, Chelsea are still being linked with Alexander-Arnold.

Since being taken over by BlueCo more than four years ago, Chelsea have cared more about signing young players with potential than high-profile names. However, that could be about to change.

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Journalist Simon Phillips has claimed on Si Phillips Talks Chelsea that the club will show more ambition and target big-name players like Alexander-Arnold in the summer if they finish in the top four this season. The 28-year-old is thought to be getting frustrated at his lack of starting opportunities under Jose Mourinho.

If Chelsea want to sign Alexander-Arnold and other players of that scale, they should have the finances to pay their respective clubs. The Blues spent £117m to purchase Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa in the last summer transfer window.

Transfer fees are not the issue. What Chelsea could struggle with is trying to fit any high-profile player they target into their wage structure. That is one thing Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly changed after taking over, the wage structure. Chelsea do not pay as much as they used to on wages.

According to Capology, Rogers is Chelsea’s highest earner on a salary of £280,000 a week. He is then followed by Moises Caicedo on £250,000 a week and Reece James on £230,000 a week. It is a lot of money, but gone are the days of paying Raheem Sterling and Romelu Lukaku £300,000 a week.

Chelsea now prefer a system where players are offered a lower base salary with incentives. Would Alexander-Arnold and others be willing to accept that?

Alexander-Arnold is nearly on what Rogers earns, about £270,000 a week. It is hard to imagine Chelsea matching or upping that for a right-back.

With Palestra, Pedro Neto and Malo Gusto all right wing-back options, Alexander-Arnold does not even need to be a priority right now. Gusto could leave Chelsea, though, so that may be at the back of the club’s mind.