Chelsea have rejected a loan bid from Fulham for Mark Schwarzer as they prepare for the possible departure of Petr Cech, Goal can reveal.
The Cottagers enquired recently about the possibility of re-signing their former goalkeeper on an emergency loan until the end of the season.
But Jose Mourinho refused to sanction Schwarzer's departure, even though the Australian is currently third in the pecking order at Stamford Bridge.
Goal understands that Mourinho thinks that Cech could leave the club in the January window, leaving him without experienced backup to new No.1 Thibaut Courtois.
The Czech international admitted on Tuesday that there is "no time" for him to sit on the bench if he is to retain his place in the national team.
He had been Chelsea's undisputed No.1 for a decade before losing his place at the start of the season to Courtois and has not begun a Premier League or Champions League match in 2014-15.
Cech told Czech radio during the international break to Czech radio: "I have not spoken to anyone but I think they know me well enough at the club to know that the situation is definitely not the way I would imagine.
"With the Euros [in 2016] and the national team in mind, there is no time for me to sit on the bench and not to play.
"If the situation will not start to improve for me, then I will want to solve it."
Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid are among the clubs who have shown an interest in the three-times Premier League and one-time Champions League winner.
Football League rules would have allowed Schwarzer to rejoin his former club on an emergency loan but the 42-year-old will now be expected to see out the one-year contract extension that he signed with Chelsea in the summer.
Fulham, relegated from the top flight last term, have been in disastrous form so far in the Championship and have tried Gabor Kiraly, Jesse Joronen and rookie Marcus Bettinelli in goal already. The latter is currently No.1 but none of them have convinced the Cottagers between the posts.