FOUR eventual replacements for John Terry

Contrary to what many Chelsea fans probably wish, every player has his expiration date. That includes John Terry, who has played all but six games in his career with the London club (he spent half a season on loan at Nottingham Forest in 2000).

While the Chelsea captain appears to have at least one more season playing at a high level, Jose Mourinho will not shy away from bringing in his eventual replacement if he feels like the right guy is available for the right price. The last thing anyone wants is an aging centre back who can’t quite hack it manning the middle of your defense with no viable options to replace him.

So it shouldn’t surprise anyone if Mourinho brings in a centre back at some point this summer, possibly to spell Terry at certain points this season to keep him fresh. Here are FOUR players that could eventually replace Terry at Chelsea.

Stefan de Vrij

De Vrij burst onto the world stage this season with Feyenoord, when he netted four goals in 35 matches. Then he played a prominent role in the middle of the Netherlands’ World Cup defense that allowed only four goals in six matches en route to finishing third overall.

The  22-year-old is only under contract through the end of this season, and while Feyenoord would surely like to work out an extension to keep him around, they understand that will be difficult. Manchester United, among other top European squads, are said to be targeting him this summer. The big and physical would be an ideal candidate to eventually take over in the middle of Chelsea’s defense.

Kurt Zouma

Chelsea may already have Terry’s replacement in-house in Zouma, a 19-year-old French international who Chelsea bought from Saint Etienne for £12m. He started playing with the French side in 2011 and remained there on loan through the end of last season.

Zouma may still need a little seasoning before making the move to the Premier League, but has already received high praise in his short career. France national team boss Didier Deschamps recently stated that he sees Zouma being captain of the French national team one day, while the Guardian named him one of the top 10 young players in Europe in January 2014.

Bruno Martins Indi

Another Dutch centre back that performed well in the World Cup, Martins Indi is versatile enough to swing between left back and centre back. Like de Vrij, he was with Feyenoord for the first four seasons of his career beginning in 2010.

The 22-year-old recently accepted a move to FC Porto for an undisclosed fee and was signed to a four-year deal. He needs a little work on his tackling before making another big move, but should gain valuable experience for a solid Porto squad that is coming off a third place league finish last campaign.

Raphael Varane

Varane is considered the crown jewel of young centre backs in the world, and the 21-year-old is concerned about his future at Real Madrid. He had a wonderful performance in the World Cup with France en route to being named to the tournament’s three-man shortlist for Best Young Player award.

Mourinho has been a long admirer of Varane, who is not keen to serve as a backup for Pepe and Sergio Ramos for much longer after appearing in just 29 league matches over the last two seasons for Los Blancos. Mourinho was boss at Real Madrid and signed Varane from the French club Lens back in 2011, so it would be difficult to count Chelsea out in the event he does seek a move elsewhere.