CHELSEA TRANSFER RUMOURS: Modric, Falcao, Huntelaar and Schurrle Involved In Latest Speculation

With Champions League winning hero Didier Drogba now very much a former Blue, Chelsea continue the hunt to find a man capable of filling his boots at Stamford Bridge.

Fernando Torres has been told that he will be a key player next season, but it is hard to envisage the Blues not bringing in a big name to offer an alternative to the misfiring Spaniard. Especially as the striker seen as the next Drogba in waiting, Romelu Lukaku, received hardly any playing time last season and his immediate future remains uncertain.

Of the players out there, Radamel Falcao may be the best fit to add a strong and prolific presence to Chelsea's attack. It is no surprise that the Atletico Madrid star has been strongly linked with a move to West London.

But having signed the Colombian for close to £35 million just a year ago, Atletico will be reluctant to sell unless a massive offer comes in. Indeed the club's sporting director, and former midfield great, Jose Luis Caminero, has ruled out a move.

Falcao will remain at Atletico Madrid and any talk of an exit is misplaced, he told AS. The club has very clear ideas on this.

The striker will remain with us next season and we are not considering any other possibility.

Chelsea are also said to have been looking at another traditional number nine in Schalke's Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. The Dutchman hit 29 Bundesliga goals last season and is thought to be in high demand, especially with the revelation that he has a €20 million (£16m) release clause in his contract.

But Schalke have said that they hope to extend the 28-year-old's contract-and presumably remove the clause.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is still under contract with our club, Schalke general manager Horst Heldt told German paper RevierSport.

He is pretty much aware that we are very keen to prolong his contract and as far as I know he is also keen to do so.

If speculation is to be believed, Chelsea is also thought to be interested in adding another attacking midfielder/inside forward to their squad this summer. That, despite the purchases of Marko Martin and Eden Hazard and with Juan Mata already established in the first team.

Hulk has been strongly linked to a big money move to Stamford Bridge, while Wigan have revealed that the Blues made a bid for Victor Moses.

Metro, though, has gone for the story that Chelsea is also interested in Andre Schurrle. The 21-year-old Bayer Leverkusen star started his first match of Euro 2012 in Germany's quarterfinal win over Greece.

His connection with a move to Chelsea seems dubious, however. With Mata, Hazard and Marin all able to play in the middle or coming in from the left, the targeting of players who have made a name for themselves on the right--Hulk and Moses--makes sense. Schurrle, though, has played the vast majority of his football on the left.

Finally, Chelsea has been urged by one of their stars to reenter the race to sign Croatian playmaker Luka Modric. The Blues made several bids to try and lure Modric from White Hart Lane last season, but Tottenham held firm. The 26 year old has been linked to Real Madrid, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain this summer but Blues defender Branislav Ivanovic has stated that Modric would be a perfect fit at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea need a player like him, he said, according to Sky Sports.

He is a really great player and wouldn't need long to adapt to a new club.

He has been playing in England for a while now, he knows the Premier League, he has the right mentality and knows how to play on the level required at Chelsea.

I'm sure that he needs something new in his career. He needs to move to a bigger club.

I believe at Chelsea he would become an even better player. I urge him to come to Chelsea--he won't regret it.