Tammy Abraham reportedly wants £180,000-a-week to sign a new contract at Chelsea.
The Blues have been in talks with the England striker for some time and are keen for him to commit his long-term future to the club.
However, The Athletic say Abraham wants a significant wage increase on a par with team-mate Callum Hudson-Odoi when he was given a new deal.
The Athletic say talks have not resumed since initial discussions with Abraham earlier in the season.
Abraham is also said to be aware that Chelsea are looking for a new striker and this is apparently a factor in him being in no rush to sign a long-term deal.
Verdict
It’s understandable that Abraham would want parity with Hudson-Odoi – and would perhaps want to bide his time over signing a new deal.
Abraham, 22, has scored 13 goals in 25 Premier League appearances for Chelsea this season – a fine response to being given his big chance in the first team by boss Frank Lampard.
And the way Chelsea have struggled while he has been out with an ankle problem underlines how important he already is to the club.
Hudson-Odoi, while obviously talented, has made just 17 league appearances this season – so it seems obvious that Abraham would want terms at least as good as his fellow academy product.
Plus, regular first-team football has always been important for Abraham.
With Lampard making no secret of his desire to sign at least one more striker, the player will inevitably want to avoid committing his long-term future to Chelsea only to find himself on the fringes of the side.