No one can leave Chelsea as transfer ban appeal in progress

Chelsea have lodged an appeal against a one-year transfer ban to FIFA's Appeal Committee and the case will be heard on April 11, the sport's world governing body said on Monday.

The English Premier League club have been banned from registering new players in the next two transfer windows and fined 600,000 Swiss Francs (almost the same amount in U.S. dollars) after they were found guilty of breaching rules on signing foreign players under the age of 18.

The club were "astonished" when the governing body denied their request to freeze the ban during the appeals progress earlier this month.

Chelsea may take their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, as other clubs have done in the past.

Chelsea logo. /VCG Photo

This means no one in the club can leave this summer, as defender Andreas Christensen says he has been told the club will hold on to the entire squad.

"The messages we've got are that Chelsea can't appeal the case and therefore want to keep all the players," the 22-year-old told Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet, according to Reuters.

Christensen, who has made just three Premier League starts this season, has been linked with Bayern Munich and Barcelona but now the Dane may have to make peace with remaining in London.

"The situation I have ended up in has been very difficult to accept," he added.

The ban may also complicate the future of talisman Eden Hazard, who said last year it was his dream to play for Real Madrid.

British media have since reported that talks over a contract extension have been put on hold.

Chelsea face Slavia Prague in the quarter-finals of the Europa League next month.