Chelsea's attempts to persuade Andreas Christensen to sign a new contract have stalled since the summer, according to reports.
Much attention has been devoted to Antonio Rudiger's contractual situation, but he is not the only defender into the final eight months of his deal at Stamford Bridge.
Thiago Silva and Cesar Azpilicueta also set to become free agents next summer as things stand, while Christensen is another who will be free to hold talks with foreign clubs come January 1.
Chelsea had been confident of tying the Denmark international down to an extension.
But it has now emerged that recent discussions between the two parties have not gone smoothly.
According to Goal, a stand-off between the club and Christensen has now gone on for two months.
The 25-year-old wants to stay in west London but was disappointed by the club's offer of a new deal, which would keep him as one of the lowest earners in the squad.
That is despite Christensen having established himself as an important part of Thomas Tuchel's team.
The German was full of praise for the Dane this week and he will no doubt hope the club are able to reach an agreement with him.
“I think it is important we accept the personality of every player,” Tuchel said.
“Some are more loud, some aggressive, some more calm. He’s a calm guy, very intelligent player, and sometimes you can get maybe a bit misled by judging him from his personality, because he is a hard defender and he is a guy who is not shy to have hard tackles and win challenges and step up in games. He found his place.
“He is very strong, very reliable and he has not reached his limits because in his age there is still room to improve.
"He can be a top defender for us in the next years and hopefully he will be because he comes from the academy. He knows what it takes and he has improved massively so far but it is not done yet – you have to show it over and over.
"There are big examples in this club of what it takes to be a legend in defence and there is still a way to go but we are very happy so far.”
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