Chelsea have reportedly tried to rush through a deal for Gonzalo Higuain so that he can make his debut against Arsenal on Saturday.
The West London outfit have yet to officially confirm the arrival of the Juventus striker, who has spent the past few days in talks over a switch to Stamford Bridge.
Higuain, currently on loan with AC Milan, could be formally announced as a Chelsea player on Friday.
According to the London Evening Standard, Chelsea officials have been working hard behind the scenes to get a transfer over the line before the deadline to register a player for this weekend's Premier League matches.
The Blues had until midday on Friday to officially register the 31-year-old as a member of their squad, but it is unknown if they were successful in doing so.
Higuain flew back to Italy in the early hours of Thursday morning after playing for Milan in their Supercoppa Italiana defeat to Juventus in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday evening.
Once the Argentina international is signed, Alvaro Morata is expected to seal a move back to Spain.