Having started their pre-season campaign late after winning the FIFA Club World Cup earlier this summer, Chelsea have now won both of their friendlies ahead of the new season.
The Blues’ first match of pre-season took place last week when they defeated Bayer Leverkusen, and Enzo Maresca’s side followed that up with an impressive 4-1 win over Italian giants AC Milan on Sunday.
Joao Pedro was on the scoresheet at Stamford Bridge, while Liam Delap also netted twice against Milan.
It hasn’t all been plain sailing for Maresca, though, who was recently dealt a huge blow with defender Levi Colwill set to miss much of the upcoming campaign after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
The England international will not return to action for several months, and it appears that those in charge of the club are set to take decisive action in the wake of the news.
As reported by CaughtOffside, the West London giants are now on the hunt for defensive reinforcements following Colwill’s injury.
Colwill will miss the majority of this season after suffering an ACL injury (Photo: Nicolo Campo/Alamy)
The centre-back featured 43 times for Maresca’s side last term, including 35 appearances in the Premier League, and he will therefore be a huge miss foe the Blues this term.
Chelsea have already signed Jorrel Hato this summer, who is capable of playing as a central defender, but the report claims that those steering the club’s recruitment are keen to add another centre-back to Maresca’s squad.
Bayer Leverkusen star Piero Hincapie is named as one potential target for the Blues, who are said to be huge admirers of the Ecuador international.
While Chelsea are monitoring the player, the report suggests that no formal contact has yet taken place and that Chelsea’s pursuit of the defender could also be complicated by interest from clubs in Spain.
At present, Maresca has a number of options to choose from at centre-back, including Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah, Benoit Badiashile and Axel Disasi.