Former Chelsea star Florent Malouda thinks that the Blues should only recruit players of the highest quality who will challenge for a first team spot and help the club move to the next level.
Although plenty of names have been linked to Chelsea, Malouda - who won the Premier League, Champions League and three FA Cups during his time in west London - has suggested that Chelsea should only be targeting the cream of the crop in Europe.
The 41-year-old also thinks that West Ham’s Declan Rice, Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe, and Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland are all realistic targets.
"I think [Chelsea] have already started preparing for next season with the new contract of Thiago Silva, looking to keep [Antonio] Rudiger, and thinking about replacements for players that might leave," Malouda told William Hill.
"Every top team need to strengthen and look at the market to try and become the best team. I don’t think there's too many players who will improve Chelsea right now, so they should wait for players like [Erling] Haaland and [Kylian] Mbappe…those players are the type of players who will improve them.
"I think Declan Rice could be interesting, not just because he was there before, but he’s a young player who has the experience of delivering for his club and national team so he could be a good option for Chelsea. He [Rice] delivered at Euro 2020 and has continued that form with West Ham."
Malouda continued by stating that he understands the complexities of the market, and suggested that Chelsea may need to wait to add certain players to their squad.
"Adding players will depend on contract situations and what’s available," he added.
"Ousmane Dembele [of Barcelona] is also interesting as he's free in the summer, but would he suit the Premier League? I think to strengthen they don’t need lots of players, just players who will add quality.
"The squad has balance, so it’s just about adding players who will bring more of this. It’s too early to assess these players because you want those who are performing at the top level for their teams at that moment. Chelsea’s DNA is to bring in the best players and challenge for trophies, so they should look at doing that."
Thomas Tuchel's squad is undoubtedly talented, but the Blues look like they will fall well short of Manchester City in the Premier League this season.
Injuries have played a part in their weakened title challenge - especially Ben Chilwell and Reece James' - but with an even stronger squad next season, they may be able to properly sustain a challenge for the title once again.
