Chelsea can still buy back Nathan Aké from Bournemouth.
When the Stamford Bridge outfit sold the Dutch defender to the South Coast side in 2017, they inserted a clause in the agreement which gave them pre-emptive rights to buy him back for a fee of £40 million.
It had been widely reported that the option expired in January, but now, it transpires that is not the case, and that it still has another six months to run.
That gives Frank Lampard the luxury of the rest of the season to decide if Aké is a good fit for his squad going forward.
Whatever happens, Bournemouth know that they will have a hard job keeping hold of the 24 year old in the summer, whether or not they are relegated.
A number of clubs are tracking his progress, amongst them Spurs, with Jose Mourinho keen to reinforce the centre of his defence, especially with Jan Vertonghen out of contract and likely to leave North London.
