Chelsea insisted that Mateo Kovacic would not be included directly in their deal with Real Madrid over Eden Hazard.
Blues director Marina Granovskaia wanted to keep the two players’ futures separate.
Negotiations have been ongoing for some time but an agreement was finally reached over Hazard yesterday morning.
Real have agreed to pay an initial £88m for the 28-year-old superstar, with the deal potentially rising to £130m.
Zinedine Zidane was desperate to land the Belgian as part of his summer overhaul at the Bernabeu.
And Hazard is now poised to end his seven-year association with Chelsea, with the switch expected to be completed next week after he returns from international duty.
There is still a question mark surrounding the future of Kovacic, though, after he spent last season on loan at Stamford Bridge.
The Real midfielder could still be signed by Chelsea despite their transfer ban, which has now been appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
As Kovacic, who is contracted with the Blues until the end of June as per his season-long loan deal, is already registered as a Chelsea player, the club can sign him regardless of whether they win their appeal.
The Croatia international did a solid job for Maurizio Sarri, helping the club break back into the Champions League with a third-place finish in the Premier League and win the Europa League.
The London Evening Standard say that Real had hoped to include Kovacic as part of the deal for Hazard.
However, it is said Granovskaia insisted during negotiations with Real that all talks over Hazard and Kovacic would be kept separate, meaning an exchange deal was off the table.
That was a key reason as to why Chelsea ultimately succeeded in getting such a huge figure for a player who turns 29 in January and only has 12 months remaining on his contract.
Hazard will apparently pen a five-year contract worth £400,000-a-week - double the salary he is on in west London.
Despite the money being on its way to Chelsea, the opportunity to sign a world-class replacement for Hazard may have to wait for a year due to the club’s transfer ban currently spanning two windows.
Kovacic, though, remains an option who the club could add to their ranks on a permanent basis.
A possible fee is unclear at this stage but further negotiations between the two clubs could still take place over a deal for the 25-year-old.