Mateo Kovacic is reported to be keen on a stay at Stamford Bridge beyond the summer, despite uncertainty surrounding his future.
The Croatian has appeared regularly under Maurizio Sarri since joining on loan from Real Madrid in the summer, but with Zinedine Zidane returning to the fold at the Bernabeu, it has been speculated that he could return to play a part with Los Blancos next season, given that he made 36 appearances under the Frenchman last campaign.
His performances in England indicate that the Blues would likely be keen to hold onto him, but the situation is muddied by persistent speculation surrounding the potential sacking of Sarri, who has come under fire in recent months.
In addition, the Premier League's fifth-placed side have been slapped with a transfer ban, meaning permanent deals could be off the table for the next two transfer windows.
Despite all of that, however, Goal report that the 24-year-old is committed to staying in London, and prefers the idea to a potential reunion with Zidane.
He has reportedly been given no assurances over what his long-term role in the side would be, and there is not thought to be a buy-out clause in place to make his loan permanent, but nonetheless sees his future at Stamford Bridge.
It remains to be seen what sort of approach, if any, Chelsea could make to keep hold of him. Given the multitude of issues surrounding the club, landing Kovacic for next season is not thought to be high on the list of priorities at present, but it isn't expected that Real would put up much of a fight in the event of another approach.
Given the amount of midfielders who have been linked with Zidane's summer revolution - everyone from N'Golo Kante to Christian Eriksen - Kovacic would likely find himself out of favour, so for now, the ball is in Chelsea's court to get a move over the line.
Source : 90min