Chelsea will be looking to go into next season as defending Champions and with that will come the expectation that new players need to be added to the squad to carry on their development. 

The Blues fans here in the Tavern have been hot on the subject of new signings for a few weeks now, and their club will no doubt be looking to splash the cash once more under Antonio Conte this summer.

A couple of names have been linked with the club already, including the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Virgil Van Dijk, and both players may certainly add something to the Chelsea squad as we head into the 2017/18 season.

Our landlord thinks that those two could well add some serious quality to their squad, and we agree, so with this in mind, here is what the Chelsea spine could look like with the additions of Van Dijk and Lukaku…

Centre backs – Virgil Van Dijk and David Luiz

The signing of Van Dijk would add some serious class to the back line at Chelsea, and a partnership with David Luiz could well be something for Chelsea fans to savour.

With Luiz’s class on the ball and Van Dijk’s ability to dominate any attackers, this partnership could well prove to be the key to success for the Blues next year.

Midfield – N’golo Kante

The Premier League player of the year has had a superb season, and Conte will be looking to build his team around the Frenchman next season.

There is little doubt that Kante is and will remain the main man at Chelsea going into next season, and Antonio Conte can count his blessings to have such a quality player to call upon already within his squad.

Fwd – Romelu Lukaku

The signing of Lukaku would be a superb piece of business by Chelsea, but would once again show an opportunity missed from when Lukaku was a young man at the Bridge.

However, a return to the club might well be on, and he would no doubt be an excellent replacement should Diego Costa move on.