In the summer: Chelsea manager Scolari will move for Benfica's Angel Di Maria at the end of the season

Scolari is resigned to the fact that no money will be made available to him to make radical changes to his stuttering side in the January transfer window, as the club strives towards self-sufficiency.

However, regardless of the outcome of Chelsea’s season both domestically and in Europe, funds will be provided in six months time to shake up the squad he inherited last summer.

Principle among Scolari’s concerns is a lack of width and variety in attacking options and the highly rated Di Maria would provide both.

The 20-year-old would also fulfil the club’s requirements for the majority of new signings to be young players with high potential sell-on fees, a policy Scolari is happy to abide by.

The Argentine moved to Benfica from Rosario in the summer of 2007 and has enjoyed instant success in Portugal. Benfica paid around £5.5 million for the player who would now command a fee of three times that figure.

Di Maria announced himself on the global stage after inspiring Argentina to success in the Under-20 World Cup in 2007 and has since been elevated to the full national squad and scored the only goal in the gold-medal match in the Beijing Olympics against Nigeria.

The player’s performances have also alerted Real Madrid to his talent but, according to a report in The Times, Chelsea remain confident of luring the player due to their links with his agent, Jorge Mendes.

Chelsea’s interest in the wide player would almost certainly signal an end to the Stamford Bridge careers of Florent Malouda and Salomon Kalou, who have failed to impress since Scolari took over at Stamford Bridge.