With Eden Hazard edging closer to the Chelsea exit door (Sky Sports), the west London club will now intensify their search for a replacement.

And should their transfer ban be frozen, according to Goal, the Blues could turn to Barcelona's Philippe Coutinho in their quest to find a successor to the Belgian.

If Chelsea are looking for a like-for-like replacement for Hazard, then Coutinho is not it. And given how disappointing he has been at the Camp Nou, you can understand any reservations some supporters may have.

That being said, £90m-rated Coutinho (Transfermarkt) is still too good of a player for Chelsea to turn down.

In attack, this is a Blues side that is not blessed with quality. Willian and Pedro are well past their best, while the club have not quite fixed their No.9 problem yet.

Based on that, Chelsea would be crazy to reject the chance to sign the 26-year-old.

Considering Barcelona bought him from Liverpool for £142m (BBC Sport), it will not be a cheap transfer.

But a player with his skill set, someone who can dribble, pass and shoot, is exactly what this Chelsea team needs.

Too often this campaign, the Blues' decision-making and execution in the final third have not been good enough.

Wrong pass after wrong pass and terrible shot after terrible shot. With Hazard gone, that is only going to get worse, making signing someone such as Coutinho imperative.

Chelsea fans, do you want your club to sign Coutinho in the summer? Join the discussion by commenting below.