Chelsea's contract talks with Andreas Christensen have stalled amid a two-month lack of contact between both parties over a new deal, Goal can exclusively reveal.
The 25-year-old has been in the form of his life at Stamford Bridge but his current contract expires in June 2022, leaving him open to talk to clubs overseas from January 1.
However, despite the Dane's intention to remain in west London, the current offer would keep him among the lowest earners in the squad.
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Christensen at Chelsea
After Thomas Tuchel's arrival in January, Christensen began to start regularly and was offered an 18-month contract with a slightly larger salary.
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With the last contact in August between the two parties, the latest offer would see Christensen signed up to a four-year deal with an option to extend for another season.
That long-term contract would see the central defender signed up to a contract that keeps him among the lowest-earning senior players at the club, despite it still representing a significant pay rise.
Even though they have lesser squad roles, it would mean that Kai Havertz and Timo Werner would be earning much more than one of Tuchel's most trusted defenders.
Rival managers, including Thomas Frank and Jon Dahl Tomasson, have both described Christensen as one of the best defenders in the world in the last week.
The Blues originally signed the defender from Danish side Brondby in a £500,000 deal amid huge competition when he was just 16-years-old.
Tuchel wants Christensen stay
Chelsea boss Tuchel has said that he wants Christensen to stay at Stamford Bridge for years and backed him to become a legend at the club.
He told reporters: "I think it is important we accept the personality of every player. Some are more loud, some aggressive, some more calm. He’s a calm guy, very intelligent player, and sometimes you can get maybe a bit misled by judging him from his personality, because he is a hard defender and he is a guy who is not shy to have hard tackles and win challenges and step up in games. He found his place.
"He is very strong, very reliable and he has not reached his limits because in his age there is still room to improve. He can be a top defender for us in the next years and hopefully he will be because he comes from the academy. He knows what it takes and he has improved massively so far but it is not done yet – you have to show it over and over. There are big examples in this club of what it takes to be a legend in defence and there is still a way to go but we are very happy so far."
The defensive issue
Christensen's situation is almost identical to that of Antonio Rudiger, whose deal also expires in June 2022.
Rudiger is keen to stay at Stamford Bridge but he wants to be rewarded for his role as one of the club's top players since Tuchel took charge.
There is a stand-off over the salary being offered and although his priority is to remain in west London, Rudiger knows clubs like Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and PSG value him more highly.
Chelsea have shown serious interest in signing a defender, having swooped for Sevilla's Jules Kounde through the summer, only to be knocked back over failing to agree a fee.
Kounde is keen to move to Chelsea, but it is a costly exercise to sign the defender with Sevilla sporting director Monchi now demanding the full €80m (£68m) release clause.
Chelsea have also been offered Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt. The Turin giants are ready to offload the Netherlands international due to his base salary being a whopping £280,000-a-week, with favourable add-ons allowing him to achieve even more in bonuses.
De Ligt's agent Mino Raiola has come out publicly to say he wants his client to move in the summer of 2022, when the Blues could lose two defenders.
The Blues are also in talks with Trevoh Chalobah over a new contract - those are progressing well, albeit slowly. Chelsea will also look to renew the contract of Cesar Azpilicueta over the coming months, with the Blues captain saying in a press conference last month that it will get resolved.
He said: "I don't have any concerns. I feel fully trusted by the club since I arrived. At the moment, it is true that my contract ends in June, but I just focus on what's next, to train and play the best I can. Everything will take care of itself. Of course, I love to be here, I feel loved since I arrived and my aim is to be here for as long as I can"