With a few poorly chosen words ahead of Blues' Champions League second round match in Paris, Eden Hazard this week incurred the wrath of Chelsea fans who have stuck by him through a lean period for the Belgian winger.
“It is difficult to say 'no' to PSG,” he insisted.
And all of a sudden, the odds on a move to the runaway Ligue 1 leaders were looking very good value indeed.
Hazard was not misquoted, spun, or mistranslated. He said those words – though, in truth, a little background about his character might help put them into context.
Hazard is not especially keen on media interviews, though he does tend to have a natural smiling confidence that carries him through them.
He can come over as quite cavalier, and there is a good chance these words were poorly thought through, or at the very least chosen without a full consideration of their impact with the fans.
It probably wasn't a 'come and get me plea', as newspapers love to call these things, but a reasonably honest assessment of how pretty much any French-speaking Belgian might react should Lauent Blanc get on the phone to them.
Besides, Hazard doesn't need to invite interest from other clubs, as there is plenty of it about already.
Turn back the clock, for a moment, to the incidents surrounding his signing for Chelsea.
He was one of Europe's most sought-after players, linked with a number of clubs – not least Manchester United, as his main pursuers ahead of Chelsea.
Playing for Lille, on the Belgian French border and only a short Eurostar trip from London, it was natural for his attention to be divided between the biggest names in both Ligue 1 and the Premier League.
In the spring of 2012, he was faced with an offer from Chelsea that ticked almost all of the boxes: the best financial offer, potentially a good deal for his brother Thorgan, and a new life in a world class city from which he could easily head home whenever he wanted.
All the deal lacked was the certainty of Champions League football – the one thing he craved, and wanted to excel at, more than anything else.
Then, against all the odds, Chelsea turned the Allianz Arena blue – and the rest was history.
Fast forward to today, and Hazard is again one of the most sought after players in European football.
Zinedine Zidane has long courted his signing from a time long before when he replaced Rafael Benitez as Real Madrid manager.
He is seen as an ideal replacement for Gareth Bale who, despite some brilliant moments in La Liga, has never really hit it off with fans at the Bernabeu.
Zidane has shown no embarrassment in his public pursuit of Hazard. And, with Chelsea again potentially heading to a period of at least one season sat on the sidelines of the Champions League's footballing and financial jamboree, the Frenchman will know that the player's head may be turned, and Chelsea's hand may be forced.
Hazard, for his part, has had a poor season. Many have countered his plaintive desire for Champions League football with the accusation that few will be more culpable for Chelsea's lack of it, should they not qualify next campaign.
After Chelsea's defeat in Paris, Guus Hiddink's endorsement of him was far from glowing, and he indicated Chelsea may reorganise their attacking midfield to accommodate Oscar rather than him.
In the modern world of player power, suck poor form matters little: as a man with the talent and ability of Hazard will always be able to go wherever he likes to play his game.
That brings about accusations of a mercenary aspect to his character: though, while he clearly knows his own worth, he is probably no more guilty of this than any other player at the higher end of football's earning curve.
If Chelsea do not qualify for the Champions League next season, and the chances of them doing so are incredibly slim, it seems almost inevitable that Hazard will leave.
Chelsea know it; Hazard knows it; and PSG and Real Madrid, his most likely next employers, both know it.
Even should Chelsea pull off a miracle and lift the trophy itself in the San Siro on 28 May, the only way they can realistically maintain their continuing status of qualification, there is a very good chance Hazard will be off.
The money will be good for Chelsea: not the world record fee some expect, but certainly in the £60m to £80m bracket. It will be great for Hazard too.
Chelsea's real tasks now, when it comes to Hazard, are to get the most out of him: both before, and after he leaves the club.
