Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is struggling to reach new terms with Mason Mount.
The London Evening Standard says Boehly is handling Mount's new proposed seven-year contract, but little progress has been made.
The 24-year-old, the club's player of the season for the last two seasons, remains among the lowest paid at the Bridge and wants a salary similar to friends in the England team.
Chelsea have yet to offer those terms, pointing to the security longer deals have offered eight January signings, who earn on average around 70,000 a week, well below the market rate for a top-level player.
Liverpool and other 'Big Six' Premier League clubs are ready to test Chelsea's resolve in the summer, and the new regime could be inclined to sell Mount.