Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino may not officially start his role at Stamford Bridge until July 1, but he has definitely started implementing his own ideas within the recruitment team.
Todd Boehly's appointment of Pochettino last month allowed the club to organise their strategy for the summer in the best possible manner. The Blues are preparing for another busy summer period with an exodus of exits likely to be made to raise funds for any incomings.
Before the 2022/23 season had already ended, there was a clear indication that a host of stars would play out their future elsewhere. Denis Zakaria and Joao Felix will both end their loan spells in west London and return to their parent clubs, whilst Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech are all amongst the names strongly tipped for the exit door.
The future of midfielder N'Golo Kante appears to be in Saudi Arabia, meaning midfield remains a pressing issue to fix in the transfer window. Yet, it isn't the only area of Pochettino's squad that requires attention.
Chelsea were poor in front of goal this season, scoring 38 goals in 38 games. To put their numbers into perspective, relegated duo Leicester City and Leeds United scored more goals than them.
By the time Pochettino steps foot in Cobham next month, his options in attack could be very limited. As mentioned before, Felix will return to Atletico Madrid, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is almost certain to leave after only a year in SW6.
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Romelu Lukaku's situation will be dealt with following this weekend's Champions League final and it's unclear, as of yet, whether he will be made part of Pochettino's plans next campaign.
But the potential sale of Kai Havertz to Real Madrid would leave Chelsea with very few options. The German is becoming increasingly likely to leave the club after three years, with Madrid seeking out replacements for Karin Benzema.
Much has already been made of Pochettino's desire to recruit a new number nine at Chelsea. Napoli sensation Victor Osimhen continues to be heavily linked with a move this summer, as does Tottenham's Harry Kane.
Both will cost the majority of Boehly's transfer kitty, but will provide great rewards. Osimhen scored 31 goals in Italy this season, helping Napoli to the Scudetto and Kane netted 32 goals in another excellent season, despite Spurs' woes.
Should Havertz, Lukaku and Aubameyang all exit for their market value - estimated by CIES Football Observatory - Chelsea will inherit £90 million. However, with reports insisting Real Madrid will have to pay £75 million for Havertz, the budget available for new signings will give Pochettino an incentive to land his man.
The reality for Chelsea is that, if they are planning to make a swift return to European football next season, they will have to back Pochettino in the window and provide him with the best tools. Another striker simply has to be at the head of their priority list, albeit following the arrival of Christopher Nkunku.
It would be tough for Pochettino and Chelsea to go into the first game of the season in August with only Armando Broja, Nkunku and David Datro Fofana as his options at centre-forward.
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