Ruud van Nistelrooy admits PSV could be helpless to prevent Noni Madueke from leaving as Chelsea open talks to sign the England U21 winger.
The Blues have expressed interest in signing Madueke in a deal that would cost around £35m.
Madueke, 20, grew up in London and spend time in both the Crystal Palace and Tottenham academies before joining PSV in 2018.
The highly-rated forward has gone on to score 20 goals in 79 first-team appearances for PSV, with his form attracting interest from Premier League giants Chelsea.
Todd Boehly spent more than £250m on new signings last summer and has already secured four deals in January, bringing Joao Felix, Benoit Badiashile, David Datro Fofana and Andrey Santos to Stamford Bridge.
But the American businessman is happy to keep splashing the cash and, according to the Daily Mail, has opened talks to sign Madueke, who has four caps for England U21.
Addressing the speculation surrounding Madueke, PSV boss and Manchester United legend Van Nistelrooy said: ‘I know there is interest. This is due to his qualities and performance. It’s a worry.
‘We need to see if we can keep him. I very much hope for that. We must do everything we can to do that. But you also know that things can take off, if the purse is pulled hard.
‘Then you have to be ready with several options, because then you would lose a second player in January. But as a coach you would rather keep your best players.
‘Situations can arise where clubs come in with an offer that cannot be stopped.’
Van Nistelrooy has already lost Cody Gakpo this month, with the Netherlands international joining Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool in a deal worth £40m.
Chelsea, meanwhile, will be desperate to return to winning ways on Sunday when London rivals Crystal Palace visit Stamford Bridge.
On Thursday night, Graham Potter’s side were beaten by Fulham for the first time since 2006 and could be in the bottom-half of the Premier League by the time they face Palace.
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