Chelsea have identified three positions they want to strengthen and are open to bring their plans for summer moves forward to January.
New manager Liam Rosenior has been installed after Enzo Maresca departed earlier this month, seemingly at loggerheads with the hierarchy.
Rosenior arrives from fellow BlueCo club Strasbourg, so is expected to have a more harmonious relationship with the decision-makers, but the Chelsea job does not tend to be a long-term gig.
The 41-year-old will be handed new players, though, as Blues bosses so frequently are.
The Athletic report that there are three positions in particular that Chelsea want to strengthen in the transfer market.
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Despite their bulging squad, the Blues want to add a wide forward, a midfielder and a defender to their ranks.
Names have reportedly been identified, but not revealed, and if Chelsea can get deals done in January then they will.
The west Londoners did enquire about Antoine Semenyo in December, but the winger left Bournemouth for Manchester City instead.
The Blues have been hampered in these areas for various reasons, some of their own making.
Injury-wise they lost centre-back Levi Colwill in August for the majority of the season, while midfielder Romeo Lavia has had a nightmare with fitness issues since he joined the club.
Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk remains suspended due to an anti-doping violation charge.
Chelsea do have other options in the positions they feel they are lacking, but Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi have been cut out of first team duties in the infamous Bomb Squad.
Rosenior has already spoken of his desire to work with the current crop of young players at the club and bring more through the academy, just as Manchester United did in their pomp.
‘I was a Manchester United fan and I am now massively a Chelsea fan,’ said Rosenior of growing up a Red Devils supporter.
‘I remember Sir Alex Ferguson was brave enough to put six or seven players aged between 19 and 21 into a title-winning team because he believed in them.
‘They grew and won trophy after trophy. It was an amazing period in that club’s history. Without that bravery, it doesn’t happen. There is potential for that here.’
He added: ‘Speak about Moises Caicedo or Enzo Fernandez or Cole Palmer or Reece James – world-class players and still very, very young.
‘That is the ultimate ambition for this club – to create that again.’
