Chelsea were convinced they had finally agreed a new five-year deal with Andreas Christensen only for the player to request for a last-minute change to the terms, according to reports.
The 25-year-old has been a regular in Chelsea’s defence under Thomas Tuchel but there are fears he could leave the club with his contract set to expire next summer.
The Blues have been locked in discussions over an extension and are running out of time to secure his long-term future, with Christensen free to speak with foreign teams from January onwards.
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According to The Telegraph, Chelsea’s hierarchy believed they had at last made a breakthrough in negotiations and were close to getting the player to commit to a new deal.
Christensen was set to land a huge pay rise and put pen to paper on a five-year deal, with everything agreed, only for the ‘goalposts to be changed’ at the very last minute.
The Denmark international’s agent initially made a number of eleventh-hour adjustments, most of which were minor, before demanding that the player’s contract be reduced from five years to just three.
That proposal ‘stunned’ the London side, who were unwilling to agree to a relatively short deal for a player entering his prime years, while they would need to start negotiating new terms again almost immediately.
The length of the contract is now the main stumbling block in discussions, with the club unwilling to back down from their five-year proposal, and if they cannot find a compromise then Christensen will almost leave on a free transfer.
Chelsea are resigned to losing fellow contract rebel Antonio Rudiger but were more confident about keeping the Danish star – though there is still hope that he can be convinced to stay at Stamford Bridge.
Christensen was asked about his future this week, he said: ‘I feel valued, I’m happy but I do not get into the contract situation. I do not know why everyone thinks it is a bad situation. Because I’m still happy and I enjoy playing football.’
He added: ‘I’m a player who right now enjoys playing football [at Chelsea] and the coach shows confidence in me. There is no bad relationship, there is nothing.’
