Malang Sarr saw a potential route out of Chelsea for the campaign halted at the last minute as talks broke down at the crucial stage.
According to Goal, Sarr was on the verge of joining German side Greuther Furth on deadline day before the attempt collapsed.
The Frenchman had actually flown out of South West London to finalise the move, but his efforts were all in vain.
Goal say that Furth were arranging his medical, yet this is as far as the transaction got.
Sarr’s sorrows
Sarr’s story at Stamford Bridge is becoming quite a sad one.
His free transfer to Chelsea from Nice last summer was slightly strange, made even more confusing when he was instantly loaned out to Porto.
That spell in Portugal didn’t exactly open the eyes of the footballing world to the defender’s talents.
He played a bit part at best, even finding himself featuring for the Porto B-team at one stage.
Upon Sarr’s arrival back to Cobham for pre-season, it was widely agreed he would be spending time away from Thomas Tuchel’s squad again.
Evidently, however, shipping on the 22-year-old would not be as easy as first assumed.
This is apparently due to his relatively high wages, as Goal claim.
They do state that there had been fleeting interest from Brest and Eintracht Frankfurt, intrigue that clearly soon diminished.
But, for all Sarr’s misgivings and failed attempts to leave Chelsea, there is still hope of an exit.
Both Russia and Turkey’s transfer windows remain open longer than the Premier League’s, so a switch across the continent is possibility.
Ross Barkley and Charly Musonda might want to follow suit after they were completely overlooked by the market in the summer.