Chelsea midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka reportedly has a release clause in his contract.
Since leaving Aston Villa for Stamford Bridge two years ago, Chukwuemeka has endured a frustrating wait for regular game time.
Just four starts and 23 substitute appearances have been made for the Blues in all competitions, with the England Under-20 international contributing just two goals and one assist.
Nevertheless, Chukwuemeka was only denied more starts last season due to a lingering knee injury, aside from during the back end of the campaign when he was largely unused by Mauricio Pochettino.
Leicester City midfielder Kieran Dewsbury-Hall has since been added to Chelsea's midfield options, creating uncertainty over the 20-year-old's future with the West Londoners.
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Chukwuemeka has release clause in Chelsea deal
In recent days, it has been alleged in Italy that AC Milan hold an interest in the playmaker and are ready to try to secure his services for next season.
The report in question has indicated that a loan agreement for 2023-24 with the option or obligation to buy the following year is their preferred option.
However, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea remain firm over their stance that they will not entertain a temporary exit for Chukwuemeka.
Chelsea and Milan are no strangers to doing business with Fikayo Tomori, Olivier Giroud, Christian Pulisic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek having all left for San Siro since January 2021.
On this occasion, though, Romano insists that Chelsea will not be tempted into facilitating an exit unless a release clause in Chukwuemeka's contract is activated.
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What release clause did Boehly, Clearlake Capital set?
When Chukwuemeka signed in the months after Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital replaced Roman Abramovich at the helm, they committed to paying Villa a fee of £20m.
Romano alleges that the player's release clause stands at exactly double that amount at £40m, a figure designed to put off potential suitors.
Chelsea may still be tempted into a sale if they were guaranteed that fee over a period of time if any club firmed up their interest with a proposal that featured instalments.
Chukwuemeka is now one of eight midfield options at Enzo Maresca's disposal, the others being Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Dewsbury-Hall, Lesley Ugochukwu, Romeo Lavia, Cesare Casadei and Andrey Santos.
Darren Plant
