Chelsea are looking to offload Ross Barkley by the end of the transfer window and could offer him a pay-off to terminate his contract, according to reports.
The midfielder struggled for game time last season, making just 14 appearances in all competition, with six coming in the Premier League.
It was thought that Barkley would seek a loan move last season, but this never came after his unsuccessful spell at Aston Villa.
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With his contract expiring next summer, Barkley looks unlikely to leave Stamford Bridge this summer, with not many clubs interested in signing the 28-year-old.
Barkley has not been handed a squad number, donning the number 18 last season.
He previously wore the number eight, with this also being taken off him last season and handed to Mateo Kovacic.
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Speaking on player departures this summer, Thomas Tuchel previously admitted that he was not looking to offload members of his first team squad.
"I know there are a lot of talks. We will also not comment on our players," he said.
“We will not encourage our players to go out in the moment.
"We had now two training sessions with 18 players. In a schedule where we play once a week it is not a problem. If I look a little bit, the chin up a little bit and look at the schedule that is coming with Southampton during the week and two Champions League matches, it’s coming. It’s in front of the door.
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“We will need a lot of players and quality players to be competitive. At the moment, like I said, we have what we have.
"We know what we’re looking for. From there we go and only from there we can think about letting players go.”
However, since this statement, Emeson Palmieri has been allowed to leave the club and join West Ham United on a permanent transfer.
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And now, it has been reported that Barkley could also be offered a way out.
However, as reported by Alan Nixon of The Sun, the deal would be not be a transfer.
Instead, Chelsea are seeking to get rid of Barkley before the end of the window.
With a contract of £200,000-a-week, Chelsea wish to offload the Englishman and could do so if Anthony Gordon arrives from Everton this summer.
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They could free him from his current contract but it would take a 'huge' pay-off to let Barkley go.
Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly could be set to make an offer to offload the midfielder this summer.
It remains to seen as to whether Barkley will agree to the terms, with just days left in the transfer window.
If he becomes a free agent, Barkley could still join a new club after the deadline.
Topics: Chelsea, Chelsea Transfer News & Rumours, Ross Barkley, Premier League, Football
Nick Emms