Chelsea Must Promote from Within Before Targeting the Likes of Alvaro Medran

Rumours linking Chelsea with a move for Borussia Dortmund's Marco Reus refuse to go away.

Earlier this week, the Daily Express confirmed Chelsea's ongoing interest in the Liverpool and Arsenal target, while The Guardian has also supported the theory Reus could well end up wearing Chelsea colours either in January or the summer.

It's a rumour that, on paper at least, makes sense. The German is an established name in European football and would arrive with the experience of winning the Bundesliga. He has been a pivotal figure for Dortmund in the Champions League.

What doesn't make sense is Chelsea's continued pursuit of young, unproven talent when they have it in abundance already.

Sneaking in under the radar this week has also been the news Jose Mourinho is interested in bringing Alvaro Medran to west London.

Aged 20, the Spaniard is a regular with the Real Madrid B team and this season has made his debut for the senior side.

According to Calcio News 21 (per talkSPORT), Mourinho has been keeping a close eye on Medran's development since bringing him to the Bernabeu in 2011 and is now ready to make his move in the January window.

"Why?" is the question that should be asked.

In the seasons preceding Mourinho's return, Chelsea got it right with their transfer policy.

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

The club signed players with a sell-on value that could deliver in the present; players like Juan Mata and David Luiz gave good service to the club on and off the pitch, winning trophies and helping stock the bank balance when the profits from their transfer fees were taken into account.

All the while, Chelsea continued to invest in the academy and now have a glut of talent on the brink of breaking through.

Nathan Ake and Lewis Baker are top of that list—the latter becoming familiar with warming the bench at Stamford Bridge, waiting for his chance to impress the manager.

Then there is Izzy Brown, Dominic Solanke, Andreas Christensen and the 26 players Chelsea have out on loan this term.

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Sure, of those 26, only a handful are prospects being considered for the first team, but Chelsea don't need any more.

The club is well-stocked in that regard, needing to focus their transfer policy elsewhere.

As Mourinho's team continues to evolve, integrating the likes of Baker and Brown will be essential, but he can't overload his squad with inexperience.

He's an intelligent manager who knows that fact all too well. It's why he has delivered success wherever he has traveled.

Mourinho is in the process of doing that at Chelsea now. It may be moving a bit slower than some would like, but the process is well underway as he looks to the future.

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Adding more 18- to 21-year-old players into the mix is only going to complicate things, though. A squad that is already close to overload will be bursting, and players who need game time to develop aren't going to get it.

It's a simple case of numbers, and the maths don't add up.

Already it's the established names preventing Chelsea's youngsters from making appearances, and the last thing they need is even more competition for places.

Mourinho spoke at the start of the season about the ability of his young players.

"My conscience tells me that if, for example, Baker, Brown, and Solanke are not national team players in a few years, I should blame myself," Mourinho said, per the Daily Mail.

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"They are part of a process the club started without me. In this moment, we have players who will be Chelsea players. And when they become Chelsea players, they will become England players, almost for sure."

He needs to continue showing that faith, following it up with action.

It's one thing chasing established players such as Reus, it's quite another to be adding more youngsters to the squad.

Reus would strengthen Chelsea, arriving a ready-made player to start matches immediately and contribute. What will Medran bring that Baker, Ake and the others can't?

Promote from within and if that policy fails, then look elsewhere.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes