Jude Bellingham has been put off from joining Chelsea, with the midfielder reportedly left unconvinced by the plan in place at Stamford Bridge.
According to German journalist Christian Falk's CaughtOffside.com column, the 19-year-old is not thought to be keen on a switch to the Blues as a result of a perceived lack of a coherent plan in west London.
Bellingham is predicted to be the subject of a huge bidding war this summer, with almost all of Europe's top clubs thought to retain interest in the Borussia Dortmund star.
It is believed that the midfielder is interested in a Premier League move, with Liverpool reported to be his preferred destination.
However, their poor form could end up being good news for Dortmund, who could keep hold of Bellingham for another year if the Reds should not make the Champions League.
'He seems very clear in his plans. I heard that, before Enzo Fernandez's move to London, Bellingham was looking at what was going on at Chelsea,' claimed Falk.
'Chelsea were interested but Bellingham saw there wasn't a clear plan at the club, so there wasn't a massive amount of interest in going there.'
Enzo Fernandez arrived at Stamford Bridge on transfer deadline day in a British record transfer deal that cost the Blues £107million.
The club raised eyebrows for their spending, with Todd Boehly splashing out £323m in the January transfer window alone.
But even before Boehly took his club's spending beyond the £600m-mark for the season, Bellingham was believed to still favour a move to Liverpool, viewing Chelsea as a club without coherent structure and plans for the future.
However, the Reds are misfiring in the Premier League this season and sit in 10th place and there is a confidence at Dortmund that Bellingham could wait until Liverpool can qualify for the Champions League before departing.
'The Premier League remains the first target for Jude Bellingham,' Falk writes. 'I've always said Liverpool would be his preferred target but, of course, everyone knows that they're not doing too well at the moment.
'It's also a hope for Dortmund still that, if Liverpool aren't playing in Europe, there's the possibility of extending Bellingham's stay by a year. Dortmund has a good chance of winning the Bundesliga, it's very close. So there could be a chance that Bellingham waits for Liverpool.
'If he's going to leave Dortmund, it will be for a top club, so he's still keeping an eye on circumstances at Liverpool.'
Manchester City and rivals United are both thought to be in the race for Bellingham, although the former now faces huge uncertainty after the Premier League found them guilty of breaching over 100 financial fair play rules.
But another club that have perhaps gone under the radar are Newcastle, who do have an interest in the player, although they are not thought to be serious contenders.
'Newcastle were interested, that's for sure, but they're not in the range of clubs Bellingham's seriously considering joining in the summer, despite their good form this term.'