Mourinho: It's clear Chelsea need a striker

The 51-year-old says that some of his players "need to improve" in order for the club to win the title and admits that he will be making "surgical movements in the transfer window"

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says that it is "clear" that his side will be looking to sign a striker this summer.

The Blues' Premier League title hopes were dented on Saturday following their 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace, which left the club two points behind leaders Liverpool after their Sunday win over Tottenham.

Samuel Eto'o, Fernando Torres and Demba Ba have scored a combined total of just 15 league goals this season and Mourinho believes that some members in his current squad need to improve in order to win the title.

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"I think it is clear in everybody that Chelsea next year wants to bring a striker," he told the press.

"That is clear but it is also clear that we want to improve our players.

"I can't, and I don't, need to improve [Gary] Cahill, [Branislav] Ivanovic, John Terry. I can't improve them and I don't need to improve them.

"But there are other guys I need to improve. I think we are doing that step by step but it is not enough to be champions."

Earlier in March, Goal exclusively revealed that Chelsea have taken the first steps to making Atletico Madrid's Diego Costa their headline summer signing and Mourinho says that players will be making way at the end of the season as well.

"The ones that are staying are competing with the striker we are bringing," said the 51-year-old.

"And it is also sometimes normal that, at the end of the season, players – I am not speaking about the strikers but players that are not playing a lot or are not happy and prefer a change - that is part of the market.

"We want to improve the team and the players and make some surgical movements in the transfer window."