Denis Zakaria could cut short his loan deal at Chelsea in January after failing to make a single appearance since moving to Stamford Bridge from Juventus in the summer.
The midfielder has grown frustrated over his lack of action and is set for talks about his situation with manager Graham Potter and co-owner Todd Boehly this week.
Those discussions could lead to a break in his season-long loan spell unless he is reassured that he will get opportunities in the coming weeks.
Zakaria, a 25-year-old Switzerland international, joined Chelsea in a surprise switch on deadline day after the Blues failed with moves for several other transfer targets.
But the move has so far not worked out and he is yet to play a minute under either Thomas Tuchel or Graham Potter. Chelsea are working on plans to overhaul their midfield, with Jorginho and N'Golo Kante out of contract at the end of the season.
Jorginho has entered early negotiations with the club over a new deal but he has so far been unable to reach an agreement and has asked for a minimum pay rise to bring his salary in line with Cesar Azpilicueta, who in August signed a new two-year contract worth £150,000-a-week.
Barcelona want to exploit the contract situations of Kante and Jorginho and are keen to sign the Chelsea duo on free transfers next summer.
Along with a new contact for Mason Mount, Chelsea’s new owners are prioritising renewal talks with Jorginho and Kante. They will also look at renewing Mateo Kovacic's contract once they have a better understanding of who is staying and who is coming in.
Chelsea are keen to sign a new defensive midfielder either in January or more likely next summer, when more high-profile options like Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham or West Ham's Declan Rice could be available.
Whether or not Chelsea can agree deals with Jorginho and Kante will influence the urgency of their need to sign a new midfielder. They made several bids for players at the end of the summer transfer window, including Ajax's Edson Alvarez, PSV Eindhoven's Ibrahim Sangare and Southampton's Romeo Lavia.
Chelsea have an option to buy Zakaria for £30million but that looks unlikely to be activated and he could return to Juventus in January as he seeks regular football.
He was on the bench for Sunday’s 2-0 win at Aston Villa but Potter handed 18-year-old Carney Chukwuemeka his debut ahead of Zakaria earlier this month.
