It is looking increasingly likely that Chelsea's transfer ban will not be frozen this summer.

The west London club have sent an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport over the transfer embargo handed to them by FIFA but have not made a request for it to be suspended (as per Goal), meaning they are now set to go into the new season without any new signings.

With so many quality players possibly being available this summer, the above will come as a huge blow, especially when one of them looks keen on a move to Stamford Bridge.

According to Times journalist Duncan Castles (via Daily Express), Philippe Coutinho favours a switch to Chelsea over Paris Saint-Germain as he continues to be linked with a transfer away from Barcelona.

Coutinho has already shown he can excel in the Premier League from his time at Liverpool and he possesses all the attacking qualities needed to at least attempt to follow in Eden Hazard's footsteps. He loves to cut inside and get a shot off (these traits listed as strengths by WhoScored), just like the Belgian, as well as using his magic feet and incredible vision to play defence-splitting passes.

He may not have enjoyed much success at Barcelona but he finds himself operating alongside the likes of Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi, so he often gets overshadowed, whereas he'd be one of the bigger name players at Stamford Bridge, which might help him get back to his best.

Just look at how he performed with that kind of status at Anfield, after all.

Of course, with Eden Hazard gone, that is exactly the sort of quality this Chelsea team could do with. And if for whatever reason the Blues could not pull off a deal for the Brazilian had they been allowed to operate, there are plenty of other avenues they could have explored.

For example, Hazard's Real Madrid team-mate Gareth Bale looks finished at the Santiago Bernabeu, while ex-Chelsea boss Antonio Conte seems to be doing everything in his power to get Mauro Icardi out of Inter Milan.

Sign the Argentina international and the Blues would have surely fixed that No.9-shaped problem they have had since Diego Costa's return to Atletico Madrid.

There is always next summer, of course, but you cannot help but feel that Chelsea could have done something special in this transfer window after bagging an initial £88m from the Hazard deal.

Chelsea fans, how damaging do you think this transfer ban could be? Let us know in the comment section below!