Chelsea are reportedly facing an uphill battle in their efforts to offload out-of-favour defender Ben Chilwell in the January transfer window.
Chilwell has been frozen out at Chelsea this season by new manager Enzo Maresca, with the left back making just one appearance this season.
The 28-year-old has played just 45 minutes of a Carabao Cup tie against Barrow so far this campaign.
He was placed in the club's 'bomb squad' over the summer after being deemed surplus to requirements, but failed to get a move away from west London.
Despite being included in Chelsea's Premier League squad list, Chilwell has failed to even be named on the bench for a top-flight match this season.
According to the Sun, the Blues face a challenge to remove Chilwell from their wage bill in January, despite the England international's desire to secure regular game time.
Chilwell is reportedly determined not to take a pay cut from his reported £200,000-a-week wages.
Should the defender hold firm, the Blues may be forced into having to subside part of his wages in order to offload him either on loan or a permanent basis.
The England international still has two years left to run on his contract, after penning a contract extension back in 2023.
Chilwell joined Chelsea four years ago and won the Champions League in his first season, but injuries and a loss of form has seen his career stall.
He failed to make England's Euro 2024 squad, and the last of his 21 international caps came back in March.
Maresca had suggested in September that Chilwell could yet have a route back with the Blues after his substitute appearance against Barrow.
Chilwell, however, has yet to play since and Maresca admitted last month the defender was likely to seek a January exit.
'There are players that unfortunately didn't play a lot with us in all the competitions like (Ben) Chilwell, like Carney (Chukwuemeka),' Maresca said.
'Probably they are the first [to say] that they want to leave because they train every day, because they want to play games and if they don't play games probably they are thinking of leaving.
'Each player is a bit different situation, so we're going to see if some of them are coming and knocking on the door to say "I want to leave" or something like that. We will try to find a solution.'
Maresca told reporters before the season opener against Manchester City: 'It's quite clear, I love the way he is but the problem is that he struggles with us a little bit to find his best position.
'This morning we had 22 players training, and if you ask all of them they will say they want to play against City on Sunday but that is impossible.
'When they train every day and do not get any minutes, it is not good for them or for me, [as] I need to make a decision. It is probably better to leave and get minutes [elsewhere]. The transfer window is open so we'll see what happens.'
Chelsea have already been forced to subside part of Raheem Sterling's £325,000-a-week wages after the out-of-favour winger joined Arsenal on a season-long loan in August.
