Chelsea remained locked in talks with Sevilla over Jules Kounde.
The Blues are not keen on meeting the Frenchman's £68million release clause.
But they remain in negotiations with the La Liga club over a transfer, per the London Evening Standard.
Kurt Zouma could be used as makeweight in the deal.
Sevilla are starting to look for replacements for 22-year-old Kounde, including former Liverpool loanee Ozan Kabak.