Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior has admitted he doesn't know what consequences the Blues will face if they fail to qualify for the Champions League.
Rosenior's side lost yet more ground in the race for the top five as they suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Manchester United.
The result leaves Chelsea 10 points behind the Red Devils in the table, and four behind fifth-placed Liverpool ahead of their Merseyside derby with Everton.
Prior to the game, Cole Palmer claimed to have no plans to leave Stamford Bridge and suggested that qualifying for Europe's elite competition "is a good position to sign players that we need."
However, failure to be in the Champions League this season could not only impact the incomings next summer, but also the outgoings. And Rosenior admitted he didn't know how missing out on the competition will change the direction of plans moving forward.
"The honest answer is I don't know," Rosenior said in his post-match press conference.
"The honest answer is we're still fighting and we will address that situation at the end of the season, whatever the situation is."
Palmer was asked about his future in west London during an interview with The Guardian, where he played down suggestions that he could look to leave the club.
However, he also stressed the importance of needing to qualify for the Champions League in order to secure the players needed to improve the team and help them achieve their long-term goals.
"I've got no plans to move from Chelsea. We've still got a lot to play for," he said.
"We've got the FA Cup semi-final [against Leeds] and if we finish in a Champions League spot it puts us in a good position to sign players that we need.
"We spoke to the owners and they're sure of the players that are gonna do it. Reece won't sign a six-year contract if he's not spoken to the owners and the directors.
"Me and Reece [James] spoke a lot. About things we need, players we need to sign and how things need to be. He wouldn't sign a new contract if he didn't know what was going on.
"The manager is good and when he has a proper pre-season and gets his ideas across properly and the way he wants to play he's a top coach."
With just five Premier League games left to go, Chelsea will be relying on the likes of Liverpool and Aston Villa slipping up in order to climb back into the Champions League places.
However, with pressure from the likes of Brentford, Bournemouth, Brighton and Everton behind them, there's every chance the Blues could slip further down the table if they don't turn their form around.
The Blues have six of their last seven games in the Premier League, including their last four. They have also failed to score in those last four games, their worst run since 1912.
However, Rosenior believes there is still a chance they can qualify for Europe's elite competition.
"It gives us a mountain to climb," he added.
"It's not insurmountable. We have to go into Brighton with an idea that we have to win that game and kick-start the rest of our season."
