In an interview with AS, Caicedo was asked directly whether he "imagined himself in the white shirt" at the Bernabeu. Although the Ecuadorian midfielder remains a fundamental pillar of the Stamford Bridge project, his response suggested that he does not rule out signing for the Spanish capital team at a later stage of his career.

According to reports, Caicedo responded with a smile: "In football, you never know, don't you think? Right now, I have a contract with Chelsea. The truth is, honestly, I haven't thought about another club, about leaving London, but well, in the end, in football you never know.

The only thing I want is to enjoy myself. I have a contract, and I want to keep playing as long as God allows me. After that, we'll see what happens. I have a contract, but we'll see what the future holds for us. Let's see what surprises await us.

"Chelsea is a great club. They have helped me a lot since I arrived. I want to repay the favor, show it in every match, as long as I am there. And well, time will tell."

The moment in which Caicedo made these statements is especially delicate, given the recent internal disciplinary measures taken against Fernandez. The Argentine, a World Cup winner, was sanctioned by the club after also discussing the possibility of signing for Real Madrid, which Chelsea's leaders considered a violation of the internal culture being established under the current regime.

Coach Liam Rosenior confirmed that Fernandez would be left out of the squad for the next two matches as a consequence of his public flirtation with the La Liga giant. The decision represents a significant shift in Chelsea's hard-line stance toward players who express a desire to play for other teams while under long-term contracts with the club.

When discussing Fernandez's situation, Rosenior made it clear why a line had to be drawn. "We spoke with Enzo an hour ago. As a football club, and I as part of that process, we have made a decision. He will not be available for tomorrow's match nor for Sunday's against Manchester City," the coach explained during his press conference.

Rosenior continued: "I think for Enzo, it is disappointing to speak that way. What I will say about Enzo is that, in terms of his character, as a person, I have nothing bad to say about him. But I think a line was crossed regarding our culture and what we want to build. So we had to impose a sanction, and that was the decision we made."

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