De Ligt, Kounde and Insigne: How Chelsea are building their dream XI

Chelsea currently sit top of the Premier League, three points ahead of Manchester City and West Ham, but they are not content to sit tight and are planning a big January spend to increase their chances of going all the way.

Director Marina Granovskaia is plotting a number of moves to hand Thomas Tuchel a dream XI to continue his title challenge. The names Matthijs De Ligt, Jules Kounde and Lorenzo Insigne top that wish list which would give the Blues a scarily strong team.

Doubts about the futures of Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger have intensified Chelsea's interest in defensive duo De Ligt and Kounde, two of the most highly-regarded and sought-after centre-backs on the planet.

Juventus and Sevilla won't be easily parted with De Ligt and Kounde, but money has seldom been a stumbling block for Chelsea before and the need to secure their defensive future could push them to pull the trigger in January.

The age of the two players, with De Ligt 22 and Kounde 23, also makes their high transfer fees more justifiable and their signatures more desirable. A host of top clubs have been tracking them, with Manchester United in particular also very keen on Kounde. So, if Chelsea were to snap up both, it could give them one of the best defences in Europe for the next decade.

Further up the field, Granovskaia also has plans to give Tuchel more firepower. The signing of Napoli stalwart Insigne would add experience and a proven option to a forward line that already boasts plenty of young talent but has perhaps lacked consistency.

The 30-year-old has spent his whole career with local club Napoli so it is a surprise to see him become available, but Chelsea have kept an eye on his situation and an opportunity may have arisen. The Italy international's contract expires at the end of the season and there appears to be some distance between player and club in renewal talks.

It appears that Napoli want to offer the veteran a 50 percent pay cut, a move which has surprised and wounded the winger and which opens the door to an exit. Chelsea would offer an attractive prospect, giving him the opportunity to vie for trophies more regularly and try another league, as surely his loyalty to Napoli would prevent him from playing for any other Serie A team.

Chelsea's dream XI

Tuchel's side are already in the title hunt, but if Granovskaia can pull of her dream January moves then their credentials will become even more solid.

Chelsea's dream XI could then be as follows: Edouard Mendy; Matthijs De Ligt, Thiago Silva, Jules Kounde; Reece James, Jorginho, N'Golo Kante, Ben Chilwell; Callum Hudson-Odoi, Romelu Lukaku, Lorenzo Insigne.