Chelsea told why they must sign Luka Modric or Toni Kroos this summer with Real Madrid stars' contracts set to expire

Cole made the point during an appearance on talkSPORT that Chelsea could benefit from having a player like Modric in the squad, before also bringing Kroos into the mix as well.

Cole said: "I'd be looking to bring in some experienced players who set the tone. I'm thinking is Luka Modric out of [contract]? Does he want to come and play in the Premier League for one more year? He's still doing bits at Real Madrid. And how much has he helped [Eduardo] Camavinga, [Aurelien] Tchouameni, [Federico] Valverde? He would've had such an influence on them as players. Toni Kroos is 34. Does he want to test himself at his age? Coming over here and helping out this young [Chelsea] squad. They're just names I've thrown off the top of my head, I don't know their situation."

At 23 and 24 respectively, Enzo Fernandez and Conor Gallagher are Chelsea's oldest midfielders, with Moises Caicedo still only 22. In the entire squad, 39-year-old Thiago Silva, who looks set to leave in summer, is the only outfield player to have celebrated his 30th birthday. Modric and Kroos have been there and done it all for Real Madrid multiple times over, with Cole banking on the possibility that either or both could be open to a new challenge in the twilight of their respective careers.

Chelsea failed with a £40 million ($51m) bid to sign Modric from London rivals Tottenham in the summer of 2011, a year before he was sold to Real Madrid for around £10m less. The Blues had earlier been among the clubs showing interest in a young Modric when he came to prominence at first club Dinamo Zagreb, but he wound up joining Spurs in 2008.

Chelsea have to ensure that this season does not end a total disaster. Mauricio Pochettino's team remain in the bottom half of the Premier League table and lost the Carabao Cup final against an even less experienced Liverpool side. But they will head back to Wembley next month for an FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City.

As for Modric and Kroos, they remain on course to land another La Liga title with Real Madrid and are also set to go up against Manchester City, battling for a place in the Champions Least four. How the rest of this season goes could dictate where both play in 2024/25. Carlo Ancelotti only recently implied it will be Modric's own decision if he stays or goes with he and Kroos' deals set to run out at the end of the campaign.