Marco van Ginkel could be recalled early from his loan spell at AC Milan by Chelsea with neither the player nor his parent club happy with the amount of playing time he is getting in Italy.
Van Ginkel joined the Rossoneri on a season-long loan in the summer, yet he has only appeared once in Serie A, leaving the field at Empoli after just half an hour due to injury.
Even when he has been fit, the 21-year-old Dutch midfielder has found himself on the bench and his agent says enough is now enough.
"Things looked promising with Milan -- Marco started the season on the bench and expected to play once he had adapted to the new club and new country, but after having recovered from his injury, he has only played a few minutes," Karel Jansen said in Gazzetta dello Sport. "We're not happy and there is no logic to any of this."
Van Ginkel's loan in Milan will not cost the Serie A club anything if he makes more than 20 appearances this season. Otherwise, they will have to pay the Premier League club a reported 400,000 euros, and that is looking increasingly likely with only six games left before January, when the Blues may well summon him back to loan him out to another club where he could get more playing time.
"We've already made things clear to the club that these were not the intentions when Marco arrived here on loan," Jansen added. "There would have been no point in sending the lad to Italy to do nothing.
"I could understand this kind of treatment if Van Ginkel was a bad player, but Milan could really do with a player like him. Chelsea don't want to draw a line under it just yet, but they could do if the situation continues the way it is."
Van Ginkel featured four times for Chelsea last season before tearing his cruciate knee ligaments. It was hoped a loan move to Milan would give him the opportunity to get first-team football before returning to London for the start of next season, ready to become a regular for the Premier League leaders.
However, Milan coach Filippo Inzaghi has struggled to find any space for him, persisting with his three-man attack and more defensive-minded midfielders than Van Ginkel.
With Riccardo Montolivo on his way back from injury, Van Ginkel's opportunities in Milan could become even more limited.