Chelsea captain John Terry has yet to sign a new contract with the club and with talks seemingly non-existent at this stage, could the Blues’ legend be on his way out of Stamford Bridge?
Despite his advancing years, Terry has been one of the most frequently used Chelsea players this season, but with young defender Kurt Zouma showing his potential when handed a first team run and Gary Cahill taking on a more senior role, the time to put the club legend out to pasture looks to be nearing.
Should he depart into the sunset, Blues’ boss Jose Mourinho will naturally be looking for a ready and able player to arrive in the summer, but who would be on the Portuguese’s hitlist?
Above are five players capable of filling the role…
5. Raphael Varane – Real Madrid – Click the arrow to see four more possible players Chelsea could sign with a view to replacing John Terry – A known favourite of Mourinho, Varane owes a great deal to his former boss and mentor from the formers spell at Real Madrid. Mou has made it known before how highly he regards the young Frenchman and given the chance would snap him up in an instant. The real sticking point would be whether Madrid would allow him to leave, but with Pepe and Sergio Ramos the first choice pairing, Varanes opportunities tend to be limited.4. Aymeric Laporte – Athletic Bilbao – Click the arrow to see more John Terry replacements – Perhaps the hottest property in European football when it comes to young defenders, the Basque star has spent much of the season linked with a move to one of the continents big guns. Manchester United are perhaps the most frequently linked side with the 20-year-old, but Chelsea arguably have a greater pulling power than their Premier League rivals. Laporte will not come cheap, with Athletic stubbornly holding out for his 42m release clause to be met.3. Andreas Christensen – Chelsea – Click the arrow to see more John Terry replacements – Chelsea have a pretty poor record when it comes to bringing through their own young players, but that could change with Mourinho vowing earlier this season that he will increasingly turn to the talent at his disposal. With Terrys future up in the air, one player who could benefit is Andreas Christensen, who has had a brief taste of first team action already. The 18-year-old is still very raw, but is highly regarded within the clubs set-up and would certainly benefit from a show of faith.2. Marquinhos – PSG – Click the arrow to see more John Terry replacements – The PSG youngster has been causing waves in Ligue 1 with some strong displays and at 20 years old, the sky is the limit in terms of his potential. Another player who has been feverishly linked with Manchester United, and while the Red Devils have been met with a firm no from the French club, PSG bosses have admitted that he could move for a princely sum.1. Jose Gimenez – Atletico Madrid – Click the arrow to see more John Terry replacements – Chelseas good working relationship with Atletico Madrid suggests that a move for any of the Spanish champions players is feasible. One such player who would therefore certainly fall into that category is young Uruguayan talent Jose Gimenez. The 20-year-old is rated at around £20m, a fee well within Chelseas budget and given his high billing in Spain, he cannot be discounted for any list of targets.
