Andreas Christensen and Chelsea have been in a standoff for a while over the defender’s future at Stamford Bridge, frustrating all parties involved.
The 25-year-old Danish international will be out of a contract with Chelsea in the summer, but the club is doing all they can to keep him.
Chelsea believed they had finalised a five-year £140,000 per week agreement with his representatives in the summer, but Christensen’s demands changed which has clearly frustrated the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.
The defender has refused to put pen to paper over what was offered and is now demanding a four-year contract with a higher pay, to the chagrin of the Stamford Bridge hierarchy.
Simon Jordan, former owner of Crystal Palace, sternly told the Dane in an interview with talkSPORT to stop delaying the negotiations and pen a new contract.
Jordan sternly advised Christensen that he needs to sign a new contract at Chelsea before they go out and sign another “£50 million defender”.
Simon Jordan: It’s degrees of loss for Christensen
The business mogul and former Crystal Palace owner believes that the only party who will lose from this standoff is Christensen, due to Chelsea’s current pull in world football as well as the club’s spending power.
Jordan told talkSPORT: “I think it’s a degree of loss for him [Christensen].
“You’re sitting with arguably one of the best coaches in the world, in arguably one of the biggest clubs in the world, with probably a financial contract in front of you that would make most people’s eyes water as an employee, and you’re sat there going: ‘Well, I’m worried about my next contract’.
“How about you worry about this contract, being good enough to play for Chelsea in five years.
“You might find yourself in a situation where you may not be good enough to play for Chelsea in three years’ time but Chelsea still have to pay you, so what a nice position to be in.
“The problem is for Christensen, with due respect to Christensen being a decent player, Chelsea can replace him with whoever they want.
“If Chelsea lose Christensen on a free transfer, he gets all that money in his next contract because no one has to pay anything for him, and Chelsea will rock out and sign a £50m centre-back.”
Tuchel fires warning to Christensen
The Denmark international has claimed that he would like to continue his career at Chelsea and has professed a love for the club. However, his negotiation antics have all but betrayed other sentiments.
Thomas Tuchel recently froze Christensen out of the side in what is now confirmed to be a ploy to get the defender to make up his mind about the contract.
The Chelsea boss, when speaking at the pre-Watford press conference on Tuesday, said: “I have no good news. It was my understanding weeks ago that Andreas wants the same as me and the club.
“This is why, for me, it was a zero-problem situation because everybody wanted the same as I understood it. We are waiting for a long time now for confirmation.
“It’s on Andreas to act how he acts on the pitch, off the pitch and walk the talk. He tells us he loves Chelsea, that he wants to stay and be a big part, because he is a big part of a big club.
“I think he is the perfect fit, he is not done yet here, his career here is not finished. He can still develop and be a big, big player. But like I said it’s on him. We want the commitment. Hopefully, we get it.”
Christensen was dropped from the side after the 1-1 draw against Burnley at the start of November. Tuchel is hoping the selection decision will push Christensen to agree and sign a new contract.
“We have the hope it influences the contract situation a little bit,” Tuchel added.
“My understanding was in a very short period we would have good news. I said around the international break that for me, it is a matter of days that we think we can give good news about Andreas.
“As I understood it, the club wants the same, the player wants the same, and the coach wants the same: to stay. That’s why we need the commitment and we can continue.”