Chelsea are facing a transfer dilemma after outcast Ben Chilwell refused to take a pay cut to help with a potential January exit.
Blues coach Enzo Maresca wants to offload the 28-year-old left-back this month but the club are struggling hard to get rid of him.
With the January transfer window now open, Chelsea were hoping Chilwell would take a cut in his £190,000-a-week salary to help with a potential sale.
But according to The sunChilwell is unwilling to agree to a pay cut in a major transfer blow for west Londoners.
Chilwell’s position means Chelsea could end up handing the England star a huge severance deal – or backing a major loan to another club.
He told Mariska Chilwell last summer that he was surplus to requirements and has played just 45 minutes of football so far this season, which came in a 5-0 Carabao Cup win over Barrow in September.
Speaking last month, Maresca admitted he expected Chilwell to ask to leave in January given his lack of playing time at Stamford Bridge.
The Chelsea coach said: “There are players, unfortunately, who did not play with us much in all competitions, such as Chilwell and Carney.”
“Maybe they are the first.” [to say] They want to leave because they train every day, because they want to play games.
Chilwell has not even been named in Chelsea’s Conference League squad this season, with Maresca having mainly played for the B team so far.
Under contract until the summer of 2027, Chelsea signed Chilwell from Leicester City in a £50m deal in August 2020.
He has played a total of 107 matches for the Blues so far, scoring 12 assists and nine goals.
Chilwell helped Chelsea win the Champions League Cup in 2021 under the leadership of his former coach Thomas Tuchel.
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