Three new stars set for Roman’s revolution

CHELSEA chief executive Peter Kenyon says the new Premiership champions are targeting three key players to join the Roman Abramovich revolution over the summer.

That would represent a far less hectic close season than the last two at Stamford Bridge since Roman Abramovich's buy-out of the club in July 2003, but fits in with manager Jose Mourinho's desire to have a lean squad with two top-class players for each position.

Early indications are that Chelsea are lining up a deal for Javier Mascherano, the outstanding young Argentina midfield player, who will join them after next year's World Cup finals.

Sources at Stamford Bridge say an agreement had been reached with Corinthians over the signing of Mascherano, even though the 21-year-old is not scheduled to join the Brazilian club from River Plate until this summer. The deal is certain to increase suspicions about links between Roman Abramovich and Corinthians, who have spent heavily since being taken over by a London-based consortium in mysterious circumstances this season, but, for now, it is likely only to inspire fear at Arsenal and Manchester United, both of whom have been impressed by Mascherano's development.

Chelsea's success in securing the acquisition of Mascherano, who will command a transfer fee in excess of £10m, will lessen the urgency of their pursuit of Steven Gerrard, but suggestions that they have dropped their interest in the Liverpool captain have been denied. José Mourinho has reportedly told his board that Mascherano is a better player and a more important target than Gerrard, but the England player remains high on Chelsea's shopping list along with João Alves, a relatively obscure midfield player from Sporting Braga, of Portugal.

Inter Milan's Brazilian striker Adriano has scored 25 times this season in a league where defences are usually on top and his bustling style and eye for goal suggest he is made for the Premiership. Chelsea still lack a proven goalscorer.

With William Gallas reportedly unhappy at being played out of position and Ashley Cole's cover as a Chelsea target apparently blown, 27-year-old Czech Republic star Marek Jankuolovski could be a shrewd alternative as Mourinho seeks a second left-back to rival Wayne Bridge.

Operates in midfield for Italian side Udinese but at left-back for his country and would reportedly cost in the region of £7million.

However Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon has insisted once again that Rio Ferdinand is not on his way to Stamford Bridge this summer.

Kenyon concedes there will come a time when the club will have to be self-financing. "We did a lot of activity in terms of getting our squad size right last year, moving 14 players out and bringing seven in.

"This year it will be a lot less than that. We've a young squad, with an average age of 25, and there's a few selected positions and that's it, so it will probably be about three in to maintain a squad size of 24.

"We're in a good position and confident we've a squad of players that have not reached their potential, so we will be adding to it in a selective manner, and we've enough in our budget to get the players we want.

"But it's wrong to say we are going to keep throwing money at the club. We've made a commitment that within five years the club will be profitable and as a consequence of that there are financial parameters.

"We have invested a huge amount of money £280million in the last two years on players and there is a long-term plan in the next five years of recouping on that investment.

"The team will not suffer in terms of the investment we are planning for it, but we have to move away from the fact we are going to buy anybody and everybody."