The race to finish inside those coveted Champions League spots in the Premier League is heating up with Chelsea having to make sure the wins keep flowing to stay put.
Chelsea do have a potential Conference League final on the horizon, but the main focus for the Blues this May will centre on ensuring they finish inside those top five spots, even as tense games against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest present themselves as upcoming hurdles.
Chelsea last 10 league positions (timeless)
The Blues will also be aware that a place amongst Europe's elite again will help them out in the transfer window, with Enzo Maresca's men looking to splash the cash once more if the rumour mill filtering out of Stamford Bridge is anything to go by.
Chelsea's growing list of targets
This summer won't just see a whole host of incomings arrive through the door you imagine, with some players in Maresca's camp also needing to be offloaded, as seen in the growing likelihood that Blues flop Christopher Nkunku will reportedly depart shortly.
New attacking recruits are already being lined up, with Viktor Gyokeres one centre-forward routinely linked with a switch to West London, on top of fresh winger additions in the form of Jamie Gittens.
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But, it's not all just attackers on Chelsea's varied shopping list, with Ajax centre-back Jorrel Hato another face that has also been linked incessantly with a move to England away from the Eredivisie giants.
However, with Liverpool and Arsenal also sniffing around for the Dutch powerhouse, this could see the Blues opt to try and snap up long-term target Ousmane Diomande instead.
ousmane-diomande
New reports from Spain indicate that Chelsea are in the running to finally snap up the Sporting titan for a fee around the £68m ballpark with Maresca personally keen on adding him to the Stamford Bridge ranks.
When comparing the 21-year-old's strengths next to Hato's, he could well be a dream alternative and even an upgrade on the Rotterdam-born youngster.
Why Diomande is be a dream alternative to Hato
Whilst there is so much hype around Hato's name as a starlet tipped for big things, Diomande could be just what Chelsea need right now, particularly when it comes to his experience on stages such as the Champions League.
Indeed, this season saw Diomande line up for nine Champions League contests, whilst his Dutch counterpart had to make do with appearances for Ajax in the lesser Europa League.
Moreover, the 6 foot 3 enforcer has proven across 99 games in the Portuguese capital that he has an eye for goal, with six goals - usually powered home via a header - tallied up by the 21-year-old.
Hato does possess a similar reputation of being a young and hungry defender capable of joining in with attacks, but his goal number for Ajax currently sits at a lower four, even from nine more senior outings.
Hato's FBref numbers over the last year vs Diomande's
Stat - per 90 mins
Attempted passes
Pass completion %
Progressive passes
Touches in attacking penalty area
Total shots
Tackles
Interceptions
Clearances
Aerials won
Stats by Sofascore
The table above further validates why Chelsea splashing out £68m for Diomande could prove to be a golden buy over snapping up the 19-year-old.
Hato-Ajax-Arsenal
Indeed, the Ivorian betters Hato in multiple different areas of their respective defensive games, including when playing as both a composed passer of the ball, but also when it comes to regularly winning duels and being a full-blooded presence at the back.
Football talent scout Jacek Kulig has even lauded the Blues target as an "elite talent" previously, with Diomande himself perhaps edging for a chance to impress away from Sporting in a more challenging environment to further back up his glowing praise.
Sporting CP's Ousmane Diomande in action with Lille's Jonathan David
Chelsea have had their fair share of fighters defensively over recent years that can also put in classy displays - with the likes of Thiago Silva and John Terry springing to mind - with a hope that Diomande can also cement himself as a first-team regular if he's given a shot at Stamford Bridge.
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