Kevin De Bruyne: Unfazed by reports of an imminent exit at Chelsea

The 22-year-old was dropped from the Blues' squad for a UEFA Champions League clash with Steaua Bucharest at the start of October, fuelling speculation that he could soon be heading out of Stamford Bridge.

Mourinho reacted angrily to questioning on the subject when quizzed pre-match, maintaining that the decision to leave De Bruyne out had been based purely on past performance.

He offered no indication that the Belgium international had been scrubbed from his thoughts, with the door left open for a first-team recall.

A number of clubs in Germany have, however, expressed an interest in taking De Bruyne back to the Bundesliga after seeing him shine during a loan spell at Werder Bremen last season.

De Bruyne has been left puzzled by the reports, though, as he considers his working relationship with Mourinho to be healthy.

He said ahead of Tuesday's World Cup qualifier with Wales: "Am I panicking? Of course not. Honestly, I'm not worried. You seem to be more worried than me.

"Mourinho is the boss and he decides who plays. He tells me when I've done something wrong, but I've heard nothing as negative from him as what I've been reading in the media.

"I chose to stay (instead of going on loan) and I have no regrets. I continue to fight hard. My chance will come.

"I'm really not concerned about finding a solution in January. That we will have to see."