Chelsea target Andrej Kramaric advised to reject move to Jose Mourinho's Blues in January

Croatia and Rijeka striker Andrej Kramaric has been told to reject a move to Chelsea in the January transfer window over fears regarding the Premier League leaders' treatment of young players.

Kramaric has scored 21 goals in 18 HNL matches and the Blues are among a series of clubs interested in the 23 year old, who made his international debut in September's win over Cyprus.

Chelsea are in negotiations with Rijeka over a potential deal for Kramaric but talks are stalling over the English club's plans for the forward, with manager Jose Mourinho wanting to send the player out on loan.

The player's father sees this as a major stumbling block and warns Chelsea might have to alter the terms of the deal in order to sign Kramaric.

"They [Chelsea] are really persistent," Josip Kramaric told T Portal. "The thing we disagree over is Andrej's loan over the next six months.

"The question is where would he go on loan? We have no guarantee that he would return to Chelsea when the loan ends.

"The financial conditions wouldn't be the same if Kramaric is with the Chelsea first team or somewhere on loan. True, it's a great club, but I'm not sure if it's the right way to go."

With 27 players out on loan, Chelsea have come under fire for their treatment of established first-team and academy players, with many returning to Stamford Bridge with no prospect of establishing themselves in Mourinho's side.

As for the highly rated Kramaric, Croatia national team boss Niko Kovac says the player must choose his next move carefully and deter from chasing a high-profile switch.

"My advice not only to him but all young players going out is don't look at how high a salary you can get but choose a club you will play in," he told Goal.com.

"Because when young players go out, they do not know anybody, don't have friends, family, don't know the language, and if they don't play, they lose confidence and in year or two - disappear.

"And if they play in some smaller team, the opportunity will come to go to a bigger club and earn more."