Aaron Ramsey has emerged as a potential summer target for Chelsea after admitting talks over extending his Arsenal contract beyond 2019 have yet to begin.

The midfielder has just over a year to run on his deal at the Emirates Stadium and officials are keen to guard against a repeat of the situations endured with Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and currently Jack Wilshere.

Arsenal would be in a vulnerable position if negotiations do not progress before the summer transfer window opens and Chelsea are keeping tabs on the situation as they plan a squad overhaul.

Aaron Ramsey (left) has emerged as a potential summer target for Chelsea this summer

Antonio Conte may have won the Premier League title last season, but the Italian has been unhappy with the level of investment in the squad and they now face a fight to qualify for next season's Champions League.

Dropping out of the top four may cost Conte his job, but whoever the Blues manager may be next season, the club are preparing to invest significant funds in the team.

Arsenal would be loathe to send another star asset across London following Olivier Giroud's switch but keeping Ramsey would risk losing him for nothing in 2019 as well as having to endure another season with a star player's future in the limelight.

The Welsh midfielder's Arsenal contract expires in June 2019 and a renewal is not close

Ramsey's current deal is worth £110,000 per week and it is understood he wants a significant improvement on those terms, especially after seeing the club hand Mesut Ozil a staggering £300,000-a-week contract.

The Gunners are further hampered by the fact that Wilshere has yet to pen an extension and could leave for nothing this summer. That appears to have left no time to talk to Ramsey's representatives and he confirmed as much following Arsenal's 4-1 aggregate win over AC Milan.

'Nothing to comment on at the moment,' Ramsey told BT Sport. 'I think they've been busy to tie up other contracts at the moment.'

Petr Cech, David Ospina, Danny Welbeck and Nacho Monreal also have contracts that expire in 2019.