The end of the Premier League season is nearly upon us and that means the summer transfer window is right around the corner.
Chelsea have a huge summer ahead of them. Next season will see the return of Champions League football to Stamford Bridge. They also need to go about replacing John Terry in the summer.
The club will also be out to replace the likes of Oscar, Branislav Ivanovic and John Obi Mikel, who all left in the January window.
The Blues should be heading into next season as defending Premier League champions next season and will need to strengthen their squad if they are to deal with the added expectation that comes with that status.
There has been a host of names already being thrown around the rumour mill about who could and couldn’t potentially be arriving at Stamford Bridge, but we’ve picked out some names and put together a summer wishlist for the club.
Andreas Christensen
The young Danish defender has probably played more Champions League football over the last two seasons than a lot of Chelsea’s current squad.
If Chelsea do not give him a chance next season, they risk losing him for good.
He’s good enough to be a part of the first-team squad and push for a spot in the starting XI. Whether he can break into the starting XI will be down to him, but he has all the attributes to succeed at Stamford Bridge if he’s given a chance.
Lewis Baker
Like Christensen, Lewis Baker has done all you can ask of a player when you send them out on loan.
He has spent two seasons at Vitesse and flourished, becoming a key part of their midfield.
This season he has added goals to his game, registering nine in the league.
A loan move to a Premier League could be considered as an option for him, but I’d love to see Antonio Conte give him at least pre-season to make a claim for himself.
Virgil van Dijk
Arguably one of the best central defenders in the Premier League over the last two seasons.
The Dutch defender is a wanted man and will be hugely in-demand over the summer. He won’t come cheap either!
Chelsea are low on numbers at the back and could start with as little as three recognised central defenders (depending on whether you’re classing Nathan Ake and Cesar Azpilicueta as central defenders).
Bringing van Dijk in, as well as having Christensen coming back would leave Chelsea in a brilliant position.
Marco Verratti
Possibly the most unrealistic out of the lot, Marco Verratti.
The Italian has been linked with a move away from Paris Saint-Germain and, even that may be ‘pie in the sky’ talk but the tenacious midfielder would make for the perfect addition to the 3-4-3 system.
We can dream, right?
Romelu Lukaku
This one is a tricky one because it all depends on what happens to Diego Costa.
A move to China is looking increasingly likely if you believe all the paper talk anyway.
He’s taken a complete nose dive in form since the turn of the year and the Blues will be in the market for another striker this summer.
Lukaku will not sign for Chelsea to be their second choice. So it may come down to whether the Blues want to cash in on Costa this summer and prepare for their future by investing in the Belgian striker.
It will be a huge decision, but something about bringing Lukaku back to Chelsea feels like it is supposed to happen.
Andrea Conti
The young Italian is making waves in the Serie A and Conte has taken note of the player.
I think it is crucial that the head coach is allowed to sign his own players, especially after the impact he has had throughout his first season in charge.