Reports suggest that Todd Boehly has decided on a location for the first feeder club for Chelsea to be based.
According to The Telegraph, the American has deemed Portugal the ideal location to get the project underway, following meetings with agent Jorge Mendes over the summer.
The American had met with the Portuguese football agent a number of times over the summer, discussing the small matter of potentially signing Cristiano Ronaldo from rivals Manchester United.
The deal never came to fruition, although it has been claimed that the difference in opinion over the transfer with manager Thomas Tuchel was the beginning of the end for the German at Stamford Bridge.
Tuchel was firmly against the deal, and was seemingly beginning to come frustrated that the rumours of them launching a bid to sign him were failing to go away.
Boehly looking to buy Portuguese club
However, The Telegraph has claimed that the meetings may not have ended up being a waste of time, with discussions continuing into Boehly determining a destination to buy his first club as part of the model he is looking to pursue.
The American is looking to build on the model made famous by the Red Bull clubs and Manchester City, where they establish a number of feeder clubs across the world to ultimately strengthen the main side.
RB Leipzig showed the strengths of the format this summer, with them able to oust sides the calibre of Chelsea and Manchester United for highly-rated RB Salzburg star Benjamin Sesko, with them loaning him back to the Austrian side for this season.
The decision to expand could assist in their choice when deciding a sporting director, with Salzburg’s Christoph Freund currently one of the leading candidates.
With his experience working in the Red Bull system for more than a decade, he could end up being a wise choice for the role.