With Radamel Falcao insisting he will stay with Atletico Madrid at least until the end of the season, Chelsea have been forced to look at other options, with the Blues reportedly beginning negotiations with Sevilla for their forward Alvaro Negredo.

The Blues are thought to be one of the frontrunners for the signature of Falcao. However, despite several negotiations it has become increasingly clear that the Colombian will see out the season with Atletico.

With Chelsea in desperate need of reinforcements to their forward line, the Blues have dialled in on Spanish international Negredo.

Rafa Benitez, who is slowly but surely steadying the Chelsea ship, is reportedly a big fan of Negredo and has recommended the 27-year-old to the Chelsea hierarchy.

The Blues have reportedly started negotiations with cash-strapped Sevilla over a move worth around €18 million (£14.7 million, $23.6 million), according to Spanish radio station Cadena Cope.

Sevilla have admitted they will need to sell some of their players to overcome some of the large debt at the club, and the Blues are ready to take advantage of the situation by going in for Negredo, one of the most consistent strikers in La Liga.

The Blues have also been linked with a move for Barcelona forward David Villa, but that move is looking increasingly unlikely with Barca saying they want to keep their player at the Camp Nou until the end of the season.

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Petr Cech has hailed his side's defensive capabilities in the past few games, and believes that aspect has played a major part in the Blues' good recent run.

"It's great to win 1-0 because it shows we battled to the end and we were well organised," Cech told the club's official website. "Also, we were patient enough to score one goal and control the game until the end, so that's a very good sign.

"We look more organised. We were conceding far too many goals and we were too open. We've been defending much better as a team and that's been the key, because we weren't defending well.

"We are back to being difficult to score against, which is a big help, and of course we have quality players who can score goals.

"You need the whole team to defend. We have very attack-minded players and sometimes we weren't making the right choices in terms of defensive transitions, we are pressing the ball much better now so it gives us more time to re-organise, I think that's been the most significant change."

Cech also had words of praise for Juan Mata, who scored the winner in the last game against Norwich, and Victor Moses. "Mata always finds the space for himself to shoot and recently he's been converting his chances," Cech added.

"It's very good, you need a player with his creativity to create space for the others and find a nice gap between the lines, so it's to the benefit of everyone playing with him.

"For Victor, it's never easy when you leave Wigan Athletic to come to a club who has just won the Champions League due to the expectations.

"He was settling in, playing good games and scoring important goals, but he is now becoming more confident and more comfortable.

"He's a very good addition, he's technically very strong but also fast, and it's always dangerous for a defender playing against speed."