Several members of the Chelsea squad are regretting signing long term deals with the club - according to The Athletic.
The first XI players are concerned about the future of the club given Chelsea have lost five games on the bounce and crashed out of the Champions League after losing to LaLiga giants Real Madrid in the Quarter finals.
In addition to concerns about the club's future, a number of squad members are apprehensive about their first-team chances next season owing to Chelsea's bloated squad.
Chelsea's January recruitment business has left them with a huge squad of over 30 players leaving many players - worth millions of pounds - completely frozen out on match-days.
Additionally, the club face missing out on European football altogether next season given their poor performances in the Premier League. Therefore, the new recruits will be given even fewer opportunities in the first XI.
Therefore, according to The Athletic, several squad members have expressed their desire to leave the club this summer. But, the majority of them have signed long-term deals with the Premier League giants.
A source close to the first XI said several players were told they were going to be 'key' to the 'exciting new Chelsea project' during their contract negotiations. However, they have hardly featured for the Blues this season.
The longevity of their deals will make it harder for them to leave the club. This is said to have irritated several players and caused an unwanted atmosphere among the Chelsea squad.
Chelsea's failure to qualify for the Champions League has caused another issue within the squad as owners Boehly and Clearlake Capital implemented a bonus structure to player contracts linked to Champions League qualification that would see their wages fluctuate depending on whether they were playing in the competition.
It was a significant move away from the ownership era of Roman Abramovich, who only rewarded players for winning trophies.
Mail Sport understands the club's most recent signings, or those who have agreed new contracts, will see their earning power slashed by at least 30 per cent. Sources have indicated that figure could be as high as 50 per cent.
The decision to enforce an incentivised salary structure was designed to motivate players - but it also provides Chelsea with a degree of protection against the financial shortfall incurred by the failure to qualify for the hugely lucrative Champions League.
To make matters worse, some members of the squad are not affected by such cutbacks because they signed their deals while under the former ownership or before the above was implemented.
Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly are among those who will not be affected as they signed for the club before the salary structure was adopted.
The Athletic's source has said the difference in contracts is causing a rift in the team.
They said: 'That situation is hardly going to help harmony within the group. You'll have some players paying the price financially for the bad results this season, and some who are not.'
Chelsea have signed 12 senior players on permanent contracts since the Boehly-Clearlake takeover, while seven existing squad members have signed fresh terms since Abramovich's departure.
Therefore, Chelsea's new manager will have difficult task of convincing a group of players, who have grown increasingly unhappy at Chelsea in recent weeks, about the direction the club is headed under the Boehly and Clearlake regime.
Mail Sport previously reported that Mauricio Pochettino has reached a verbal agreement to become the next Chelsea manager - and the deal could be done within days.
Mail Sport revealed the former Tottenham boss held further talks with the Stamford Bridge hierarchy on Tuesday as he nears a Premier League return.
The 51-year-old Argentine has been out of managerial work since being sacked by Paris Saint-Germain at the end of last season.
It is expected Chelsea club legend Frank Lampard will remain in his role as interim manager until the end of the current campaign with Pochettino starting work over the summer.
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