Chelsea are ready to splash out on a new striker in January.

The Guardian says reinforcements should arrive for beleaguered manager Andre Villas-Boas in January, even if the outlay may not match the £73.6m committed to the eye-catching purchases of Fernando Torres and David Luiz at the same stage last season.

There will be attempts to freshen up the attacking options within the squad, particularly as Nicolas Anelka and Salomon Kalou may leave. Both forwards are out of contract in the summer and have spent the first half of the campaign on the fringes of the first team.