Chelsea are already planning to splash the cash during the January sales. 

The Blues made several last-minute moves for midfielders before the summer window closed last week. 

In the end, Denis Zakaria arrived on loan from Juventus but deadline-day swoops for Ajax's Edson Alvarez and Romeo Lavia of Southampton were unsuccessful.

According to the Evening Standard, the West London outfit have already decided to continue spending aggressively in January, with the priority being to add depth in the middle of the park.

Alvarez is reportedly top of Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel's list, despite a £40million offer being turned down by Ajax.

The 24-year-old ace informed the Eredivisie champions of his desire to move to England but found his club unwilling to consider any further exits after losing Antony to Manchester United.

In addition to Alvarez and Lavia, the report suggests Chelsea will also move for Russian international Arsen Zakharyan.

The Dinamo Moscow midfielder, 19, is being monitored by a host of top European clubs.

It proved impossible to bring the youngster in during the summer window due to sanctions placed on Russia but the Blues will try again in January if circumstances allow.

A £12.6m release clause means a deal should be relatively easy to strike is the player is keen on switching to Stamford Bridge. 

In other news

According to The Express, Brighton could be willing to negotiate with Liverpool for Moises Caicedo after rejecting several bids for the 20-year-old star this summer.

Diego Costa is due to land in England today as he commences medical tests ahead of a proposed move to Wolves, report The Telegraph.

The Daily Mail suggest German champions Bayern Munich want to sign Barcelona's Gavi, with Manchester United and Liverpool already believed to tracking the 18-year-old Spanish midfielder.