CHELSEA TRANSFER RUMOURS: Hazard, Falcao, Modric, Hulk, Schurlle, Rafael Involved In Latest Speculation

As well as giving the club arguably the greatest night in its history, Chelsea's Champions League victory over Bayern Munich on Saturday could also have a huge impact on their summer activity in the transfer market.

Suddenly the champions of Europe are a club that some of the world's finest players are interested in joining. Perfect evidence of Chelsea's new and improved allure came just hours after their victory in Munich with the words of Eden Hazard.

The much-sought after Lille attacking midfielder, when asked about the possibility of moving to Stamford Bridge said: That's possible. But until I put pen to paper I won't say where I'm going, according to ESPN.

Of course it makes you think as Chelsea have won the Champions League, he added. They're a big team and will be playing in the Champions League next season. They have great players and I always said I wanted to be playing. I think there is the possibility to play as well.

I still don't know [which club I will join] yet, otherwise I would have announced it today. Nothing is done yet but it will happen soon.

It has long been thought that Hazard faced a straight choice between Manchester rivals United and City, but Chelsea now appears to be firmly in the running.

It seems increasingly likely that the Champions League final also heralded the final appearance in a Chelsea shirt by Didier Drogba. The Ivorian striker ensured himself legendary status at the club with his equalizing goal and winning penalty at the Allianz Arena, but the Telegraph reports that Drogba has already agreed a deal with Shanghai Shenhua.

According to the article, Chelsea has been actively pursuing replacements for the 34-year-old. One name near the top of that list being Atletico Madrid's Radamel Falcao, who hit 24 goals in La Liga in the past season and also excelled in winning his second consecutive Europa League. And, with Atletico failing to qualify for the Champions League, the Colombian may be open to a big money move this summer.

Also known to be firmly on Chelsea's radar is Falcao's former teammate at Porto, Hulk. Indeed, the Telegraph reports that Chelsea already had a deal in place to sign the Brazilian. Hulk, who can play as a main striker or as an inside forward cutting in on his left foot, has long been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge, but Porto have previously refused to budge from the €100 million release clause in his contract.

There has been increasing speculation, though, that Porto will ease their stance this summer, opening the door to a potential move.

I do not talk about transfers, Hulk recently told Globoesporte. That is something that I leave for my agent. All I know is that I will stay in Europe.

A further attacking option Chelsea is investigating is Bayer Leverkusen's Andre Schurrle. The German international can also play wide as well as through the middle and would follow in the footsteps of his national teammate Marko Marin, who completed his transfer to Chelsea last month.

Chelsea's claiming of their first European Cup could also have another pleasant bonus. The victory, of course, ensured that the Blues gained England's final Champions League place at the expense of London rivals Tottenham. And, according to the Mirror, that could lead to Chelsea-target Luka Modric handing in a transfer request.

The Croatian was the subject of three bids from Chelsea last summer, but Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy held firm over his refusal to sell. If Modric makes similar demands this time around, Levy's position would be even tougher to maintain.

While Chelsea's success has afforded them greater leverage in the transfer market, there are still some deals that will remain beyond their reach. A perfect example being the Blues' alleged interest in Manchester United's Rafael. The National claims that Chelsea are looking at the 21-year-old Brazilian as a potential solution to their long-standing problems at right-back.

But, while Rafael has had a somewhat inconsistent career to date, the chances of Sir Alex Ferguson selling a promising player to one of United's chief rivals are, to put it mildly, slim.