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Chelsea don't need Lukaku - Villas-Boas

Andre Villas-Boas: 'Let's wait and see if Romelu Lukaku becomes a reality or not' © PA Photos

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Andre Villas-Boas has praised Romelu Lukaku but insisted Chelsea do not need to strengthen their attack.

Chelsea are understood to be in talks with Anderlecht over the signing of Belgium international Lukaku, 18, who has long made clear his desire to move to Stamford Bridge.

There have been reports that the Blues would be willing to loan Lukaku out - potentially returning to Anderlecht until January - and Villas-Boas has now said that he does not feel the squad is in urgent need of further forwards.

"It's a player I know, obviously, and he had a magnificent season in Belgium, but I can't comment on the speculation about him," Villas-Boas. "Let's wait and see if it becomes a reality or not."

On whether he feels Chelsea need to sign another striker, he said: "I don't think we need to. We have, at the moment, plenty of availability in terms of forwards. This is the reality at the moment of our squad. We need to find the right balance."

While Villas-Boas has a vast array of big-name strikers at his disposal, questions persist over the form of Fernando Torres. The Spaniard endured another difficult day on Thursday as he drew a blank against in 1-0 win over a Malaysia XI, but his new manager insists he is not concerned.

"I don't want to turn Torres into an obsession like you people are trying to do," he said. "I am not going to waste time over this. I disagree that he is lacking in confidence.

"Every time a player doesn't score, I am asked questions about him. I agree that Torres is a £50 million striker but my focus is purely on the performance of the team, not the individual.

"It doesn't matter who scores. These are pre-season games and they don't have the importance that some people think. The point of these games is to get a feel for your team and achieve your objectives in terms of fitness and training.

"To gain the confidence to find the back of the net, Torres needs training, tolerance and patience. It doesn't look like he is getting this at the moment but we are ready to give our forwards this patience."

Villas-Boas appears likely to adopt a 4-3-3 formation next season and, as Carlo Ancelotti found last season, it will be difficult to successfully accommodate both in the formation.

"Again, the question of Fernando and Drogba not scoring together is an obsession for people at the moment," Villas-Boas said. "They will eventually perform for the team well enough for us to be successful. I wouldn't worry too much about it. It's a decision of the technical staff."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.