Chelsea reportedly face the prospect of shelling out a £50m fee if they sack head coach Graham Potter.
In September, the Blues moved swiftly to replace Thomas Tuchel by handing a five-year deal to the then-Brighton & Hove Albion boss.
Although the appointment initially appeared to be a masterstroke by the club's new owners as the Englishman recorded six wins and three draws during his opening nine matches, Potter has failed to build on that start.
Instead, Chelsea find themselves down in 10th position in the Premier League standings and needing to overturn a 1-0 deficit to Borussia Dortmund to progress through to the Champions League quarter-finals.
Chelsea have not prevailed in a top-flight fixture since January 15, while just four goals have been scored in their last 10 matches in all competitions.
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Despite the manner of the club's 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon, Potter allegedly retains the support of the club's board.
According to The Mirror, the Blues hierarchy would have to pay out an astronomical compensation fee to Potter if they decide on a change in direction.
The report claims that Potter stands to receive in the region of £50m if he is sacked barely six months into a long-term contract.
A consortium headed by Todd Boehly also paid in excess of £20m to secure Potter's services from Brighton at the end of the summer.
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While Chelsea's owners have not been shy on spending big money on new players, it remains to be seen whether that would apply to changing managers should the team not improve under Potter.
In theory, the West Londoners would also have to pay out further fees to acquire the services of a fresh face, assuming that they were in another job at the time.
As it stands, Chelsea hold a nine-point advantage above the relegation zone, but that may shorten if they lose to 17th-placed Leeds United on Saturday afternoon.
That fixture comes three days before Chelsea square off against Dortmund in the second leg of their Champions League tie, Potter and his squad increasingly aware that success in that competition will realistically be required to participate in next year's tournament.
Darren Plant
