Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas is pushing ahead with plans to overhaul his ageing squad. The Daily Mail says the recruitment of younger players is a key component of his plan as the core of the club's squad are approaching the twilight of their distinguished careers.

John Terry, Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba and Florent Malouda are all in their 30s and Villas-Boas has ordered the club's scouts to compile a list of the best emerging talent.

Chelsea's network of scouts have already embarked on a search to identify potential targets in time for the next two transfer windows.

A source said: "Chelsea really have gone into overdrive. Scouts seem to be everywhere at the moment looking at players. Chelsea have not been this active with regards to scouting for years.

"It's safe to say there will be a fair amount of player recruitment at Chelsea in the coming months."