Maresca's belief is that Chelsea need a central defender who can play out of the back in the same way Colwill can. "Yes, [Hato is a] central defender, but can he do that? It's different. Also, we have players that unfortunately, like Wes [Fofana] or Benoit [Badiashile], they have, in this moment, some [injury] problems.

"We are trying to find a solution internally, but the club knows exactly what I think and we will see what happens," Maresca said on Friday.

Enzo Maresca wants Chelsea to sign a centre-back to replace the injured Levi Colwill. England international Colwill is set to miss most of the new season after suffering an ACL injury in training. Tosin Adarabioyo and Trevoh Chalobah are poised to start in central defence against Crystal Palace in the Premier League opener on Sunday.