Danny Drinkwater will return to Chelsea when his loan spell at Burnley ends on at the start of January, claims The Sun.
Burnley signed Drinkwater on a six-month loan deal in the summer and the Clarets have the option to prolong his stay until the end of the current campaign.
However, the 29-year-old hasn't made a first-team appearance for Burnley since starting in their 3-1 defeat at home to lower-league Sunderland in the EFL Cup at the end of August.
Drinkwater suffered an ankle injury not long after his run out in the cup before it later emerged the former England international sustained the blow during a nightclub brawl.
The Chelsea loanee is finally back in training but still needs to build his match fitness after three months on the sidelines and relatively no game time in more than a year.
Drinkwater has endured a remarkable decline since playing an integral role in Leicester's title-winning campaign in 2015/16.
Drinkwater completed a £40m move to Chelsea in the summer of 2017 but didn't make a single competitive appearance for the club last season.
The former England international last featured in the Premier League in March 2018 and now appears set to return to Chelsea.
Burnley have been covering his staggering £120,000-a-week so far this season and want him off their books at the next possible opportunity.
It's unlikely Drinkwater will be handed another chance at Chelsea, which means Drinkwater will have to find a new club in January or spend the rest of the season out in the cold.
