Chelsea are reportedly ready to re-enter the transfer market in search of a new midfielder when the window opens again in January.
The Blues were the biggest spenders during a summer of unprecedented financial outlay for English clubs, splashing more than £250m on new arrivals in their first window under their new owners.
However, the Evening Standard claims that they are ready to further back manager Thomas Tuchel in January, with particular emphasis on bolstering his options in the middle of the park.
Chelsea reportedly failed with big-money moves for Ajax's Edson Alvarez and Southampton's Romeo Lavia on transfer deadline day in their search for late midfield reinforcements.
In the end, they signed Denis Zakaria on a season-long loan deal from Juventus, with an option to make the move permanent for £26m at the end of the campaign.
However, like his new teammate N'Golo Kante, the Swiss midfielder has had several injuries of his own in the recent past, leading Chelsea to continue their search for further midfield additions.
The West London outfit are expected to revisit their interest in Alvarez this winter after Ajax boss Alfred Schreuder confirmed that the Mexican midfielder pushed for a move to Stamford Bridge during the summer.
The Blues have also been linked with a move to sign Dynamo Moscow attacking midfielder Arsen Zakharyan, who reportedly has a £12.6m release clause in his contract.
However, getting that deal over the line would depend on new owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake's ability to bypass any ongoing sanctions from the west on Russia, in light of the latter's military invasion of Ukraine earlier this year.
The contracts of current Chelsea midfielders Kante and Jorginho are both due to expire at the end of the current campaign. body check tags ::
