Chelsea's dream XI for the opening weekend of the Premier League as 'two key transfers agreed'

Enzo Maresca will expect the Chelsea sporting directors to wrap up any remaining business ahead of the opening weekend of the new Premier League season. Before the Blues get the ball rolling, with a clash against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge on August 17, they'll have two friendlies to get up to speed.

The west Londoners will face Bayer Leverkusen on August 8 before playing AC Milan a few days later on August 10. While the summer transfer window doesn't slam shut until September 1, Maresca won't want any disruptions or distractions once the English top-flight is underway.

Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley have more than enough time to welcome a couple of new faces to Cobham, but they better get a move on. So, with that being said, football.london has looked at what business Chelsea must do before the opening weekend of the new Premier League season.

Chelsea delay 'next Van Dijk' swoop as Sanchez replaced

Robert Sanchez earned his keep at the Club World Cup, but that doesn't mean Chelsea should stop looking for a new goalkeeper. Last month, football.london understood that the Blues were willing to bid £13m for Mike Maignan; AC Milan wanted in excess of £20m, so a deal collapsed.

The 29-year-old shot-stopper would be an excellent addition to Maresca's side, bringing quality, experience and tranquility between the sticks. The west Londoners should also be in the market for a world-class right-sided centre-half to partner Levi Colwill.

Virgil van Dijk, for instance, transformed the Liverpool backline into a fortress overnight. That's the type of signing that Chelsea need in order to compete on all fronts.

Unfortunately, there isn't another Van Dijk on the market at the moment. It's not the end of the world though; Trevoh Chalobah and Tosin Adarabioyo have proven to be more than good enough, while Mamadou Sarr looks to be an exciting prospect.

Maresca sticks with reliable Chelsea duo

Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo will be two of the first names on the team sheet when Chelsea face Palace. The duo have been excellent for a while now, and they look set to marshal the midfield at Stamford Bridge for years to come; with the help of Romeo Lavia and Andrey Santos, of course.

Neto given new role as Rogers starts

Pedro Neto was superb when Chelsea stormed past Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup final. However, if the Blues can wrap up a deal for Morgan Rogers, the Portugal international should return to the right, with the Aston Villa star starting on the left.

Jamie Gittens and Estevao Willian could each very quickly cement a place in Maresca's starting lineup this season, so Neto and Rogers will be under pressure to hit the ground running. Joao Pedro climbed above Liam Delap and Nicolas Jackson in the pecking order in the United States, so it's safe to assume he'll probably start against Palace.

So...

In an ideal world, when Chelsea face Palace, Maresca will field a starting lineup that looks something like this: Mike Maignan (from AC Milan); Marc Cucurella, Trevoh Chalobah, Reece James; Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez; Morgan Rogers (from Aston Villa), Cole Palmer, Pedro Neto; Joao Pedro.

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