Roberto Di Matteo said Chelsea would look to sign a new striker in January, while admitting any club would be happy to have Radamel Falcao in their team.
The links with Falcao keeps gathering pace, with Chelsea reportedly closing in on the Atletico Madrid striker. Falcao committed his immediate future to Atletico, but it is understood, the Blues are determined to prize the prolific Colombian away from Spain.
Manager Di Matteo refused to be drawn out on whether Chelsea are on the verge of agreeing a deal for Falcao, but could not hold back his admiration for the 26-year-old.
"If you ask any manager, he would have him in his team," Di Matteo told reporters.
"He is one of the best strikers, probably, in European and world football.
"His ratio of goals per game is quite impressive, not just this season but over the last three seasons, at Porto and Atletico Madrid."
Chelsea are already light in the center forward department with Fernando Torres their only recognized player in the position, while Daniel Sturridge is yet to prove himself. Victor Moses, who can also play through the middle if needed, will miss the opening month of 2013 because of the African Nations Cup, where he will represent Nigeria.
Keeping the situation in mind, Di Matteo admitted Chelsea might be in the market for a new center forward when the transfer window reopens in January. "We're looking at that, because we'll lose Victor and John Obi Mikel for that tournament," Di Matteo added. "We'll look and see how we deal with it, but for the moment we're okay."
Meanwhile, Di Matteo has squashed the rumors linking young defensive midfielder Oriol Romeu with a move away from Stamford Bridge. Romeu has made just four appearances all season - two of them in the League Cup - leading to suggestion the 20-year-old former Barcelona man could be on his way back to Spain.
However, with Mikel expected to leave for the African Nations Cup, Romeu is likely to get more game time, with Di Matteo saying there is absolutely no chance of the midfielder leaving in January. "Romeu is a very young talent with good prospects for the future," Di Matteo said. "He has offers from other clubs and especially from Spain but I have had calls from Italy as well.
"But he has been playing a bit more lately and he will be playing more in the future. There is absolutely no chance of him leaving in January."
