Christian Pulisic could be allowed to join Manchester United on loan.
However, with Chelsea’s new owner Todd Boehly preferring an outright sale for the USA captain, a pre-condition is that he agrees to extend his deal first at Stamford Bridge.
He still has two years left in his current deal, but this is seen as a way of protecting his value.
Pulisic knows that he will struggle for game time in the season ahead under Thomas Tuchel, and, with the World Cup looming, he wants to be playing regularly in the months ahead.
A good campaign at Old Trafford will not only enhance his value to Chelsea in the event of an eventual sale, but also may change Tuchel’s mind about his ability to compete regularly for a place at Stamford Bridge.
He could be one of a number of incomings at United before transfer deadline day as they look to recover from their poor start to the season.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.