'It's a priority' - Enzo Maresca names the position Chelsea will look to strengthen after suffering major injury blow before Bayer Leverkusen win

Chelsea are facing a defensive headache as Benoit Badiashile and Wesley Fofana are sidelined and fellow centre-back Levi Colwill will be out for a long time with an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Despite reports suggesting the Blues won't try and sign a replacement, Maresca has said otherwise.

After Chelsea's 2-0 pre-season win over Bayer Leverkusen on Friday, he told Channel 5: "It is a priority [signing a new defender] for me. Levi is a fantastic player. What we achieved last season is because of him. He played a lot of games with me, I love him. We are going to miss him. We are also trying to find different solutions."

Colwill is arguably Chelsea's best centre-back, and even when he was in the team, the Blues looked a bit shaky at the back at times last season. If Maresca's side want to push on this season, they need to sign a quality defender, particularly if they have desires about winning the Premier League.

As Chelsea try and find a new defender before the transfer window shuts in just over three weeks, the west London outfit take on AC Milan on Sunday in their final pre-season game before kickstarting the new Premier League season at home to Crystal Palace on August 17.