Chelsea are in pole position to land Southampton left-back Luke Shaw, with talks progressing over a proposed summer move.
The Blues are still in the hunt for a long-term successor to Ashley Cole, who recently signed a one-year extension to remain at Stamford Bridge until 2014.
With Ryan Bertrand yet to convince, the Blues have also been looking far and wide for someone capable of stepping into the large shoes of Cole.
Shaw has been identified as the best candidate and the Blues are increasingly confident of landing the teenager when the summer transfer window opens, according to the Daily Mail.
Chelsea reportedly had a £10 million ($15 million) bid turned down by the Saints in January, with the Blues also failing to sign the 17-year-old last summer.
However, despite being rebuffed twice, the Chelsea hierarchy are going to press for the signing a third time and are confident of finally agreeing a deal.
It will be interesting to see if the move can be completed, with Southampton announcing last month that Shaw had agreed a new long-term contract, believed to be five years, which he is set to sign when he turns 18 on July 12, 2013.
The Saints have made it clear they are not prepared to sell their best players, as they look to establish themselves in the English Premier League under new manager Mauricio Pochettino.
However, it is understood that Shaw is a Chelsea fan and if the player has his head turned by an offer from the European champions, the Saint might have no choice but to let their player go.
Meanwhile, Rafa Benitez reportedly made his feelings clear to the players following the woeful showing against Manchester City Sunday.
Benitez held a meeting prior to Monday's training session, telling the players he was disappointed with their performance against City at the weekend, where they were completely dominated, according to the Telegraph.
That result left Chelsea vulnerable towards earning a Champions League place next season, with Tottenham climbing above them into third following their 3-2 win over West Ham, thanks to another master class from Gareth Bale.
Some of the senior players also spoke up during the heart-to-heart, after Benitez was reportedly upset with some of the veterans' performances.
The Spanish manager is far from a beloved figure at Stamford Bridge, although the players have shown their support for him, and it is looking increasingly likely that he will leave at the end of the season.
Jose Mourinho is the favorite to replace Benitez, while the likes of David Moyes, Manuel Pellegrini and Michael Laudrup have also been linked with the job.
