Chelsea star Ian Maatsen has reportedly agreed to join Borussia Dortmund on loan.
However, the left-back cannot sign for his new club, as Les Bleus have recently banned him from being promoted.
Dortmund have reached a £2m deal to sign Maatsen on loan until the end of the season.
Reports suggest the player will pen a new contract at Stamford Bridge to put Chelsea in a strong negotiating position amid talk of a permanent move in the summer.
But this month’s Maatsen is suspended due to a little-known rule.
Clubs can loan up to seven foreign players at a time.
Chelsea have already reached the maximum amount and now want to break an ongoing deal for Maatsen to leave.
Romelu Lukaku, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Angelo Gabriel, Hakim Ziyech, David Datro Fofana, Gabriel Slonina and Diego Moriera are on loan abroad.
There have been rumours that Ziyech could see his time with Galatasaray end after suffering injuries and fitness.
Meanwhile, Moriera has struggled to get minutes in Lyon and is a recovery option.
Speculation also suggests that Fofana could see his time at Union Berlin come to an end, but would then be sent back on loan to Sevilla.
The rule of the maximum of seven foreign loans was put in place two years ago to prevent groups from accumulating talent.
Players are exempt from the regulation if they are both club-trained, meaning they have spent at least three years in the club’s youth academy, and are aged under 21.
Maatsen is spared this rule as his 21st birthday fell before the deadline at the end of last season.
Chelsea were already busy in the loan market in January, sending Alex Matos to Huddersfield and calling up Andrey Santos from his season at Nottingham Forest.
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