Will Abramovich back a move for Torres and Gary Cahill?

The collapse of the proposed deal for 23 year-old Brazilian David Luiz has led to some like the Metro already speculating that Chelsea will now panic and in addition to their chase for Liverpool hit man Fernando Torres, will quickly step up efforts to sign the highly touted Bolton defender Gary Cahill.

While Luiz was valued at around the £26 million mark by Benfica, Cahill would most likely cost £20 million at most and would be a welcome addition to the English ranks of the club. There would I am sure be suggestions that Cahill could one day be John Terry's successor at the club, acting as the English bedrock at the heart of Chelsea's defence.

But is Roman Abramovich really ready to spend what could be in excess of £70M+ for two players in the next few days?

There is little doubt that Chelsea do need cover in central defence. The trio of John Terry, Alex and Branislav Ivanovic has proven to be rocky, with injury problems and dips in form hurting the team's Title chances. Academy product Jeffrey Bruma has clearly appeared to be unworthy of first team minutes in the eyes of Carlo Ancelotti.

Does the situation require £20M of new young player to correct it? If it does, it is highly unlikely that both Alex and Ivanovic would stay at the club as first team opportunities are squeezed., unless Ivanovic is happy to spend the bulk of his club career as a right-back.

Most importantly though, did Chelsea's audacious bid for Fernando Torres account for the fact that the Club's pursuit of David Luiz was finished? Would a £45M or even £50M bid from Chelsea be instead of a serious offer for Gary Cahill, who Ancelotti is long known to have admired, or as well as?

One thing is certain: this ageing Chelsea squad needs investment that goes beyond bringing through those in the Academy's ranks. Just how big that investment will be, we may get a serious idea of in the next few days.