Chelsea's stance on a move that would see Kevin De Bruyne return to the club has emerged amid recent transfer links.
The Blues have been tentatively linked with re-signing their former midfielder when his contract at Manchester City expires. Chelsea sold De Bruyne to Wolfsburg back in 2014 before he went on to join City a year later and has since gone on to enjoy a decade-long stint at the Etihad Stadium.
De Bruyne announced earlier this month that he would be leaving City at the end of the season when his deal with the club comes to an end.
The announcement means that De Bruyne is now able to speak to clubs outside England about signing a pre-contract agreement for a free transfer this summer, with the latest gossip claiming a move to either the United States or Saudi Arabia could be on the cards.
Chelsea have also been tentatively linked with a move for De Bruyne, while there have also been rumours Liverpool could be interested in signing the Belgium international.
The Telegraph have reported, though, that Chelsea are not expected to be in the running to sign De Bruyne as a free agent when the summer transfer window opens.
The report claims that Chelsea are not planning to sign De Bruyne, with the potential "headache" of trying to fit him and Cole Palmer into the same team mentioned as one of the reasons behind the club's stance.
It remains to be seen what players, midfield in particular, Chelsea will look to target when the transfer window officially opens in June.
The Blues will have the opportunity to strengthen their squad from June 1 until June 10 ahead of the expanded Club World Cup which will be held in the United States this summer.
After that, the window will reopen again on June 16 and run for the rest of the summer until September 1.
For the time being, Chelsea will remain focused on qualifying for the Champions League and were handed a boost with the 1-0 victory over Everton on Saturday afternoon.
