Andreas Christensen is closing in on a move to Barcelona, with Thomas Tuchel admitting the defender has given no indication he will sign a new contract at Chelsea.
The Denmark international is a free agent in the summer, with Barca stepping up their pursuit of him recent days.
Sources in Spain claim a deal will be concluded imminently.
Chelsea have maintained hope Christensen could be convinced to stay at Stamford Bridge – and believed they had already reached agreement earlier in the season.
But he decided to wait to listen to offers from elsewhere in the knowledge that he would be one of the most sought-after free agents at the end of the season.
Barca now look set to beat competition from Bayern Munich in the race to land to him, with Tuchel sounding resigned to losing the player.
The Chelsea manager said: “It is in doubt. We hear the rumours. The situation with Andreas for many weeks is clear.
“We are not happy about it because, me personally, and the club representatives think it is best for him to stay. We rely heavily on him. He did not sign yet. He did not communicate. This is also a signal to us.
“Communication from his side is that he did not sign until now. We have to consider the possibility that he leaves us.
“Will we like it? No. Will we live with it? Yes. Things are not personal, never should be personal.
“I have no further information. Not information that I don’t want to share, just no information.”
Christensen was dropped earlier in the season as Tuchel tried to convince him to sign on.
But the German suggested he will not punish the player between now and the end of the season.
“If things happen I try not to take them personally,” he added. “Things like this happen. He is still our player, we will do what is best for us. Until his contract ends, he is a Chelsea player.
“He knows we appreciate him a lot. It is a crucial point in his career at the moment.”
But Tuchel has warned Christensen he could blow the chance to become a Chelsea legend by leaving.
He said: “He’s at a crucial point, in the perfect age and perfect moment regarding the situation, the position he plays, the guys who play at his side. Considering all these circumstances, for me it is the decisive moment for him to step up and be a huge Chelsea player for the next years.
“If he decides otherwise I will not take it personally.
“In the end it is not important if I understand it or not. I will treat him as my player until the very last day if he behaves like we want to behave.”
