Chelsea Transfer Rumors: Young Center Midfielders Whom the Blues Should Target

So far this summer, Chelsea have found the transfer season to be tough. Pursuits of Luka Modric, Javier Pastore and others have been unsuccessful and fans are beginning to worry. Chelsea's rivals, namely Manchester United, have already made a significant mark in the transfer window and look set for the upcoming campaign.

Looking at Chelsea's midfield, is an expensive and world-class center midfielder needed? The answer, in my opinion, is no.

I'm not saying that Oriol Romeu, from Barcelona's B team, has solved the midfield issue, but the Blues don't need to be spending exorbitant amounts of money on one world-class player. Instead, Andre Villas-Boas should buy a highly rated young player who can, little by little, become a starter. 

Here's a list of five highly rated young center midfielders who Chelsea should target:

Miralem Pjanic

Age: 21

Nationality: Bosnian

Current Team: Olympique Lyon

Miralem Pjanic has been superb for Lyon since joining the French side three years ago. During the 2009/2010 season, the Bosnian has made 53 appearances, scoring 11 times and assisting 10. Unfortunately, the next season wasn't so good as new arrival Yoann Gourcuff took Pjanic's spot. Even with a reduced 39 appearances and four goals last campaign (in total), Pjanic still played well—just not good enough to start. 

Pjanic has made a name for himself and many of the top clubs are considering buying him. The 21-year-old would be a great addition to Chelsea as he is a creative attacking midfielder and would be a good replacement for Frank Lampard. The only problem is that it would take a lot of money for Lyon to accept an offer.   

Douglas Costa

Age: 20

Nationality: Brazilian

Current Team: Shaktar Donetsk

Douglas Costa was signed by Shaktar less than two years ago for around $8 million, despite being linked to bigger teams such as Manchester United. Now, after just one and half seasons with the Ukrainian champions, rumors are restarting, with Liverpool and Manchester City said to be interested. Shaktar don't want to see their Brazilian starlet leave so quickly after joining though. Costa featured 42 times last season and was particularly important in Shaktar's Champions League success, in which they made the quarterfinals.

Douglas Costa may be one of the lesser-known players on this list, as he plays in Ukraine and rarely features for the Brazilian national team, but is a great center mid. Chelsea certainly need someone creative and Douglas Costa may be the perfect buy. 

Javi Martinez

Age: 22

Nationality: Spanish

Current Team: Athletic Bilbao

Javi Martinez is the oldest player on this list, at 22 years old. He already has a World Cup medal with Spain last year and was a fundamental part in Spain's Under-21 Euro this summer. But Martinez hasn't found the same success at the club level. He has been a constant starter for Athletic Bilbao since his 2006 transfer from Osasuna, making a total of 170 league appearances for Los Leones.

Javi Martinez isn't as young as the other players on this list and will probably feel that it is now time to move to a bigger club. Chelsea would be a great destination for the Spanish starlet. Unlike all the other players on this list, Martinez is more of a defensive center midfielder, but is still a creative player who would work very well at Stamford Bridge. 

Mario Gotze

Age: 19

Nationality: German

Current Team: Borussia Dortmund

Mario Gotze has emerged as one of the most promising youngsters after a superb season with Borussia Dortmund. Gotze had been with Dortmund's youth system for a long time before making his debut in 2009. He only made five appearances in the 2009/2010 season so nobody could have predicted Gotze's impact in the next campaign. During the 2010/2011 season, Gotze featured 33 times for the German champions in the league, scoring six and assisting 11.

It would be a hard task for Chelsea to wrestle Gotze away from Borussia Dortmund. But it would pay off. The 19-year-old has been great in the Bundesliga with his creative and attacking play. A move to Chelsea would be good for both the player and the club (well, not Dortmund).  

Christian Eriksen

Age: 19

Nationality: Danish

Current Team: Ajax

Christian Eriksen is one of the most promising players at the moment. The Danish midfielder plays for Ajax and helped them win the Eredivisie last season. Eriksen has also gathered a few individual awards, including the 2011 Dutch Football Talent of the Year and the 2011 Ajax Talent of the Year. Eriksen also featured in the 2010 World Cup with Denmark, as the youngest player of the tournament. 

Eriksen looks set to be superb player in the future and should be bought by Chelsea before Ajax set an enormous transfer fee. The 19-year-old may not score a bunch of goals but is very creative—something that Chelsea need.