According to reports in The Mirror, Chelsea are ready to spend £120m on three Premier League stars following their shock defeat to Burnley on Saturday.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Mirror says the Blues are ready to spend £120m before the transfer window slams shut at the end of the month and they will begin by making a £35m bid for Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, before stepping up their interest in Leicester City’s Danny Drinkwater and Southampton captain Virgil van Dijk.

The Premier League holders have seen a number of players leave on loan or on a permanent basis – such as Nemanja Matic to Manchester United – this summer, and injuries to the likes of Eden Hazard, Pedro and new boy Tiemoue Bakayoko saw them come unstuck against the Clarets in a surprise 3-2 loss at Stamford Bridge at the weekend.

The Mirror says that Roman Abramovich is ready to back the Italian boss to ensure that the club is strong enough to retain its English top flight as well as competing on their return to the group stages of the Champions League.

Would the trio improve the Chelsea squad?

They certainly would, and Oxlade-Chamberlain and Drinkwater would improve their quota of home-grown players too.

Even though he would likely want to establish himself in one position if he did make the move to Stamford Bridge, the former has shown that he can feature in central midfield, out wide or at wing-back on either flank during his time with Arsenal, and he would be a hugely useful addition.

Meanwhile, the Blues are lacking depth in the middle of the park right now with Bakayoko missing through injury and Cesc Fabregas suspended after being sent off against Burnley, and Drinkwater knows N’Golo Kante well having won the Premier League title alongside the Frenchman in 2016.

Gary Cahill was also dismissed against the Clarets and while Conte can pick from the likes of Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen at the back, he may feel that Van Dijk would add some quality and leadership to the backline following some outstanding performances for Southampton over the course of the last two seasons.

What’s the verdict, then?

Well, it is clear that Chelsea need to boost their squad and if they could sign these three, they would be looking in much better shape for what is sure to be a long season.

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