Chelsea are looking to replace midfield duo Jorginho and N’Golo Kante.
That’s according to journalist Simon Phillips, who has claimed the Blues are in the market to replace both midfielders, who are edging closer to leaving Stamford Bridge on free transfers.
Both Jorginho and Kante will be out of contract at the end of the season and with no signs of renewal for either player, it looks increasingly more likely that the Blues will need to reinvent their midfield.
The Italian and the Frenchman have been incredible players for Chelsea – lifting multiple major trophies over the years, including the 2021 Champions League.
MORE: Club president speaks out on Lionel Messi’s PSG future
However, with both players into their thirties, this season will almost certainly be their last in London and Phillips believes Graham Potter is now facing a formation headache and must decide whether or not to line up with one defensive midfielder, or two.
“Chelsea want two new midfielders and they want two new midfielders who specifically can play in the six position, whether that be as a lone defensive midfielder or part of a double pivot, depending on what formation Chelsea line-up with,” Phillips told GiveMeSport.
“But they definitely want two new midfielders purely because of the situations with contracts with Jorginho and N’Golo Kante. Both at the minute look like they could leave as free agents.”
One player who is on the Blues’ shortlist is Southampton’s Romeo Lavia.
Agent Haydn Dodge, who spoke exclusively to CaughtOffside in November, said: “Once this change takes place [executive board announcement], one of the players at the top of their list to bring in, in January will be Southampton’s Romeo Lavia, who, in my opinion, is a superstar in the making and Belgium’s future captain.