When Chelsea and Arsenal met in the Carabao Cup semi-final at Stamford Bridge, Antonio Conte was seen whispering into Alexis Sanchez's ear as the pair emerged from the tunnel.
The Italian manager patted Sanchez on the back as they walked up the steps towards the pitch before leaning in for a word in the player's ear, and then giving him one final pat on the back before heading to his place in the dug-out.
The footage was posted by Chelsea on their Youtube channel and, with Chelsea now entering the race for the Chilean, it appears to pinpoint the exact moment Chelsea's pursuit of Sanchez began. Or maybe just a few words of encouragement before the game, who knows?
Antonio Conte caught on camera having a pre-match chat with Alexis Sanchez before Chelsea's draw with Arsenal last week...
— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) 16 January 2018
Could it be the first of many pre-match chats between the pair?
Pictures courtesy Chelsea TV pic.twitter.com/KbcvkYwuPz