Jose Mourinho has indicated that goalkeeper Marco Amelia is close to joining Chelsea as cover while Thibaut Courtois continues his recovery from injury.
Courtois has been out of action since September with a knee problem sustained in training after returning from international duty, with Asmir Begovic taking his place as a result.
Former AC Milan keeper Amelia was invited to train with Chelsea earlier this week, with reports on Friday indicating the Italian has passed a medical at Stamford Bridge.
And, speaking ahead of Saturday's match with Southampton, Mourinho said: "Courtois' recovery is going well but he will not be back until December.
"We have at this moment Marco Amelia working with us for a couple of days. He is an experienced keeper and has played Champions League and the national team.
"What we need is some cover. We need some stability until Courtois is back. Maybe he's the guy to give us that.
"We will try. He knows what a big club is and the responsibility."
Oscar, Radamel Falcao and Loic Remy did not travel with Chelsea for their Champions League clash with Porto on Wednesday in which they suffered a 2-1 defeat as their difficult start to the new season continued.
Asked about their reaction to that omission, Mourinho said: "My assistant reported that on the Tuesday Remy, Oscar and Falcao trained fantastically well when the squad was in Porto. That was difficult when the team was away, but they found the motivation.
"They knew there was a chance they could be selected for the next game so they did well.
"Since then with the rest of the squad it has been normal. We always have and demand very high professionalism from all of the players."
