AC Milan are keen to keep Fikayo Tomori on a permanent basis but Champions League qualification would help the Serie A side to afford the €30 million (£26m/$36.5m) option to buy the defender from Chelsea.
The 23-year-old is also keen to remain at San Siro and has had a string of meetings with technical director Paolo Maldini and sporting director Frederic Massara.
The Milan officials have explained that they want to keep Tomori but the fee is expensive. Indeed, ideally, they would ask for a discount from Chelsea, but that is not expected to be granted, leaving Milan hoping for a Champions League spot at the end of the season.