Borussia Monchengladbach chief Max Eberl says there remains hope of extending Andreas Christensen's stay.
The Dane's two-year loan expires at the end of the season and Eberl has been discussing the situation with Chelsea.
"Our pledge is that Andreas will develop with us, but will certainly be part of their future plans," he said.
"If Chelsea cannot provide him games, we might have a chance to have him with us longer."
It's also emerged this week that Chelsea will not consider selling Christensen to a direct European rival like Barcelona or Bayern Munich.