Chelsea are now just two games away from being crowned champions of the world.

Late on Friday night, the Blues booked their place in the Club World Cup semi-finals, thanks to a 2-1 victory over Palmeiras at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

Cole Palmer broke the deadlock early, only for Chelsea-bound Estêvão Willian to score a stunning equaliser, but Malo Gusto's late cross was deflected into his own net by Agustín Giay as the Londoners prevailed in Pennsylvania.

Enzo Maresca's team will now take on Fluminense in Tuesday's semi-finals at MetLife Stadium, the third different Brazilian club they've faced this summer, firm favourites to reach the final, where either Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid await.

Meantime, Chelsea remain, as is their want, extremely busy in the transfer market, with João Pedro debuting off the bench on Friday, while Jamie Gittens has since arrived too, it could mean that another of their forward players is to take his leave.

The latest on Noni Madueke's Chelsea future

As reported by Sam Dean and Sam Wallace of the Telegraph, Arsenal are preparing a £50m bid for Chelsea winger Noni Madueke.

Meantime, David Ornstein of the Athletic notes that the England international has actually already 'agreed personal terms' with the Gunners, and this deal appears as though it could actually happen, with Madueke thereby becoming the tenth player to leave Chelsea for Arsenal in the modern era, six of which have done so since 2019.

A real mixed bag there from an Arsenal perspective, with Chelsea supporters very much viewing their North London rivals as a bit of a dumping ground, but could a highly-rated teenager be moving in the opposite direction?

Chelsea targeting Madueke upgrade

According to a report by Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea are closely monitoring Ethan Nwaneri's contractual situation at Arsenal and are 'ready to attack the situation'.

The 18-year-old, only eligible to sign a professional contract since March, currently has just one year remaining on his deal with the Gunners, and James McNicholas of the Athletic has reported that 'talks are at a delicate stage', with the club desperate to tie down 'such a valuable prospect'.

He adds that, before committing to anything, the £47m-rated youngster wants to seek assurances over his playing time, following a breakout season at Arsenal, seeing 1,378 minutes of action across all competitions, including starting 11 Premier League matches, scoring nine goals.

For context, despite his age and the fact he played 1,246 fewer minutes, he only scored two fewer goals than Madueke across all competitions, underlining the immense potential and talent that he possesses.

Indeed, Nwaneri is only the third player to score nine goals before their 18th birthday for a Premier League club, after Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen, who weren't bad, were they?

Described by Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout as a "magnificent talent", he could well be the perfect long-term replacement for Madueke, but if it is indeed first-team opportunities that are the teenager's priority, perhaps Chelsea are not the right club to join, considering all the wide-attacking options currently on their books.

Fair to say, Maresca has a fair few options from which to choose out-wide, even if Mykhailo Mudryk is currently banned, while a couple of others are likely to depart, including the aforementioned Madueke and João Félix.

Nevertheless, might Nwaneri be the best of the lot?

Well, former Chelsea winger Joe Cole compared the teenager to Lionel Messi, following Arsenal's 2-0 victory over Leicester City in February, stating "you can't mark him because he can go both ways... I don't even want to say it, but it's like Messi".

Meantime, Lorihanna Balabanova of Total Football Analysis praises Nwaneri's 'versatility' and phenomenal 'potential', adding that his 'best attribute is his ability to find pockets and exploit spaces'.

Thus, it is clear that Nwaneri is a player who is poised to be a future star, and if there's one thing Chelsea love, it is hoovering up such young talents, so will they strike again?