Antonio Conte insists Chelsea are 'two or three players' short

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has revealed that he could recruit 'two or three' players in the summer in order to close the gap on the likes of Manchester City.

The Premier League holders have struggled to keep up in their title defence this term, and they are more or less looking to finish in the top-four for the campaign.

Speaking in the lead-up to the Watford game, Conte said that he will look to bring in quality over quantity in the summer with the Blues looking to make up the distance to the Citizens among other.

"Now we have to struggle to fight for a Champions League place - that is top.We must be realistic. We must be strong to accept this type of situation," he told reporters, via The Mirror.

"Then, in the future, if there is the possibility, you have to try to buy only two or three players – not eight players. Don't forget, this summer, we brought in eight players and spent a lot less than other teams who bought only two or three." 

Chelsea are upto 50 points for the Premier League campaign after 25 games, and they will seek to return to winning ways at Vicarage Road in order to maintain their gap to London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.

The west London side pursued the likes of Ross Barkley, Olivier Giroud and Emerson Palmieri last month, but they are still injury concerns with Alvaro Morata and Andreas Christensen out for at least a week.