Chelsea can build Enzo Maresca's dream squad with £98m swoop before Bayer Leverkusen friendly

Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley only have four weeks to build the perfect Chelsea squad. At the start of next month, the Blues will play their first game of pre-season – and Enzo Maresca will expect the sporting directors to have wrapped up any final business.

Chelsea will lock horns with Bayer Leverkusen at Stamford Bridge on August 8 before hosting AC Milan a few days later on August 10. A week later, the west Londoners will be back on home turf when they face Crystal Palace in the opening weekend of the new Premier League season.

A month or so may seem like a long time, but it will fly by with such a short break. So, with all that being said, football.london have looked at what business Chelsea must now do before pre-season gets underway.

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Chelsea strengthen two key positions

Chelsea have enjoyed an electric start to the summer transfer window, adding lots of exciting young players to Maresca's squad, but now it's time to bring in some star-studded quality. First and foremost, the Blues need a new goalkeeper, so they should reignite talks to sign Mike Maignan from Milan.

football.london understands that Chelsea were willing to submit a £13m offer for the 29-year-old last month, but the Italian giants wanted in excess of £20m. Fortunately for the west Londoners, Maignan has recently entered the final year of his contract at the San Siro, which could force Milan to reconsider his future.

If the France international doesn't sign an extension, the Serie A outfit will be have to make a tough decision. Milan must weigh up whether they'd rather risk losing Maignan for free next year or cut their losses and cash in this summer.

While Chelsea chip away at a deal with Rossoneri, they must begin working on a move to sign Rodrygo from Real Madrid. The 24-year-old winger faces an uncertain future at the Santiago Bernabeu, having payed just 88 minutes under Xabi Alonso at the Club World Cup.

If Maresca wants more firepower, there won't be a better forward on the market this summer. Rodrygo, who's currently valued at £78m, would be a marquee signing that takes Chelsea to the next level.

The Blues could do with a left-back to provide cover for Marc Cucurella. Somebody like Jorrel Hato or, ironically enough, Lewis Hall would be great, but Josh Acheampong has proven he's more than capable - even if it's not his preferred position.

A new home-grown goalkeeper, who's prepared to be third-choice, wouldn't go amiss either. Jason Steele from Brighton would be a decent option, but this shouldn't be Chelsea's priority at the moment.

Maresca holds onto Chelsea wonderkid

Chelsea must hold on to Andrey Santos at all costs. The 21-year-old midfielder, whom the Blues signed from Vasco da Gama for £18m in January 2023, was brilliant while out on loan at Strasbourg last season.

Santos, whose contract at Stamford Bridge runs until June 2030, featured 32 times in Ligue 1, scoring ten goals and providing four assists. Playing a key role in Liam Rosenior's side, he helped the French outfit qualify for the Conference League.

Santos was nominated for the young player of the year alongside the likes of Ayyoub Bouaddi, Eliesse Ben Seghir, João Neves and Désiré Doué, who won the award. He was then called up to the Brazil squad by Carlo Ancelotti for two crucial World Cup qualifiers.

Maresca has profiled Santos as an eight, making him an exciting alternative to Enzo Fernandez. The Brazilian can, of course, also provide cover for Moises Caicedo or Romeo Lavia if necessary.

Chelsea sell eight and loan out five

Chelsea could make well over £150m by selling up to eight players this summer: Robert Sanchez, Renato Veiga, Axel Disasi, Ben Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka, Joao Felix and Christopher Nkunku. Ideally, the Blues fend off interest in Noni Madueke, but he's recently been linked with a move to Arsenal.

Meanwhile, Kendry Paez, Marc Guiu, Aarón Anselmino, Mathis Amougou and Mamadou Sarr should all go out on loan, whether that's to a Premier League rival or to Strasbourg. Unless the four youngsters force themselves into Maresca's immediate plans, they should be given the chance to play regular first-team football.

So...

Maresca could be spoiled for choice by the time that Chelsea gear up for their first game of pre-season. Fortunately, the Blues have already wrapped up most of their business, meaning Stewart and Winstanley have plenty of time to add some star-studded quality to the 26-man squad.

Goalkeepers: Mike Maignan (from AC Milan), Filip Jorgensen and Jason Steele (from Brighton).

Defenders: Marc Cucurella, Josh Acheampong, Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill, Trevoh Chalobah, Tosin Adarabioyo, Malo Gusto and Reece James.

Midfielders: Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia, Andrey Santos, Dario Essugo and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

Forwards: Nicolas Jackson, Liam Delap, Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro, Rodrygo (from Real Madrid), Pedro Neto, Estevao Willian, Jamie Gittens and Tyrique George.