Thomas Tuchel must heed Lionel Messi transfer message as Chelsea eye £36m Eden Hazard heir

Thomas Tuchel is fast approaching a T-junction as Chelsea's January transfer window comes to a close and Lionel Messi's voice is bellowing through Blues boss' satnav telling him which way to turn.

Marina Granovskaia has not yet been able to bolster Tuchel's senior ranks this month despite a growing injury crisis at Stamford Bridge.

One of the positions under the microscope is Tuchel's strike force; the Blues have outperformed their expected goals tally in the Premier League this season more than any other side except for Leicester City and Aston Villa.

The European champions can take pride in their ability to convert chances better than most, however, Chelsea can't afford to rely upon their ability to be lethal in front of goal in every single game.

So, to patch up this leak before the ship sinks, Tuchel's side have been linked with two renowned chance-creators whose potential arrivals could determine the Champions League holders' fate this season.

Both Ousmane Dembele and Marco Asensio are rumoured to be on the Blues' wish list this month and, given the fact Tuchel already has a plethora of forwards at his disposal, it's hard to envisage Chelsea pursuing both.

However, it's understood that Tuchel is happy with his first-team squad and any late additions are, as things stand, unlikely - there may be less than a week left in the window but everyone knows that a few days is a long time in football.

Football.london understand Chelsea are monitoring Dembele's situation at Barcelona, with the Frenchman due to be out of contract at the end of the season having failed to reach an agreement over a new deal.

The west Londoners are also said to have asked about the availability of Real Madrid forward Asensio, according to Defensa