Chelsea maintained their seven point lead at the top of the Premier League in midweek courtesy of a last minute winner against Everton at Stamford Bridge.
The 1-0 win over the Toffees followed a 2-1 win over struggling Aston Villa away from home last weekend and whilst the Blues’ current form is hardly vintage, they continue to get the job done whilst others drop points.
At this point in the season, you feel it would come as a major shock if Jose Mourinho’s side did not finish the season as Premier League champions with a bit to spare.
Diego Costa has been missing for the past three matches after a retrospective ban from the FA for a stamp on Liverpool’s Emre Can.
In his absence, Loic Remy and Didier Drogba have led the line. With the latter set to turn 37 this year, Chelsea look set to enter the transfer market in the summer for a replacement.
Here are five options for them to consider.
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Click on Didier Drogba to reveal the five replacements Chelsea must consider this summer.
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Karim Benzema
The Real Madrid forward has been continually linked with a move away from the Bernabeu with Chelsea said to be amongst those keen on a £50 million deal in the summer.
The France international has an excellent goalscoring record at the Bernabeu but is said to have become unsettled by reports linking Carlo Ancelotti’s side with a move for a new striker in recent months.
Real were said to be keen to sign Luis Suarez from Liverpool in the summer before his latest biting incident whilst Manchester City star Sergio Aguero is thought to be another target.
Mario Mandzukic
Chelsea were linked with the powerful Croatian international forward in the summer when it became apparent he would be leaving Bayern Munich.
Mandzukic opted for a switch to Atletico Madrid where he has averaged a goal every two matches. But the return of local hero Fernando Torres has seen his first team place come under threat at the Vicente Calderon and reports have linked him with a summer move to the Premier League.
Gonzalo Higuain
The Argentine forward is a player Jose Mourinho knows well from his time in charge of Real Madrid.
He has been consistently linked with a move away from Serie A giants Napoli who are looking to balance the books in order to comply with Financial Fair Play rules.
Rafael Benitez’s side are also facing a challenge to qualify for the Champions League this season whilst failure to do so would surely see Higuain demand a move at the end of the season.
Edinson Cavani
The Uruguayan has been linked with Chelsea in the past with Jose Mourinho reportedly keen to sign him from Napoli before he made the £50 million switch to Paris Saint-Germain.
It has not been an overly happy time for Cavani in the French capital however with Laurent Blanc often shafting him out wide to accommodate Zlatan Ibrahimovic as the main central striker.
That has seen him often linked with a move to the Premier League with the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool all said to be keen.
Enner Valencia
The Ecuador international first came to people’s attention during the summer’s World Cup, scoring three goals to help the South American’s to the last 16.
West Ham United duly snapped him up where he has impressed under Sam Allardyce. He has four goals in all competitions this season but it has been his link up play that has been perhaps the most impressive.
His goalscoring record at international record is also very impressive whilst his physical power would make him a decent replacement for someone of Drogba’s quality.
