Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger is reportedly demanding an annual salary of €7million - around £113,000-a-week - and a signing-on fee from Spanish outfit Barcelona.
The latest transfer rumour comes after Blues manager Thomas Tuchel admitted he was "surprised" by the 29-year-old's enthusiastic celebration following his goal against Brentford on Saturday afternoon. That made it 1-0, but Chelsea went on to lose 4-1.
Some Blues fans will be shocked by Rudiger's reported demands. He earns £100,000-a-week and Chelsea have been trying to negotiate an extension with his representatives for some time. It's unlikely an extra £13,000-a-week would've been a stumbling block.
Previous reports suggested that Rudiger was demanding between £200,000-a-week to £225,000-a-week. The Germany international would be within his rights to ask for such an increase after helping Chelsea win the Champions League last season.
Rudiger's demands to join Barcelona may be less due to the Spanish club's financial woes. Reports last year suggested they were more than £1billion in debt and have significantly cut their budget, releasing club legend Lionel Messi last summer.
The allure of joining Barcelona remains the same and Rudiger could be willing to drop his demands if it means he can represent the Catalan giants. Barcelona are competing again under Xavi, too, beating Sevilla 1-0 on Sunday to move into second in La Liga.
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Rudiger's transfer options may have also dried up in recent weeks. As reported by Spanish outlet SPORT, the centre-back has not received a desirable offer from Bayern, Real Madrid or Juventus - three clubs that were heavily linked with him earlier in the year.
And Chelsea's financial problems have limited his options. The Blues are currently operating under a special license - stopping them from signing and selling players - after owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government.
The oligarch allegedly has ties with Russian president Vladimir Putin, something he denies. Russia invaded neighbouring Ukraine in February, triggering a bloody and unprovoked war in eastern Europe. Abramovich is currently part of the peace process.
Chelsea are up for sale as a result of the sanctions and it's hoped a deal can be reached before the end of the season. The bidders remaining in the race - including Chicago Cubs owners the Ricketts family - have until April 11 to submit their final bids.
Saturday's shock defeat to Brentford leaves the Blues third in the Premier League, five points ahead of Tottenham in fourth with a game in hand. Speaking about Rudiger's celebration, Tuchel said: "If you want to read something into it, you can read something into it. I was surprised he came to me to celebrate.
"He was maybe surprised that the ball went in, because he tried so many times. But yeah, it was a nice moment. You could see how happy he is, you could see how everybody was happy with him and what it meant to him and what it meant to us."
