WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- White House chief of staff John Kelly is expected to resign in the coming days, U.S. media reported Friday morning, quoting sources familiar with the situation.

Potential replacements include Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff Nick Ayers, who is seen as a leading contender, according to CNN.

White House officials widely believe that Kelly's departure is imminent and that Ayers will replace him, media company Axios first reported on Friday.

Senior officials have long viewed Kelly as living on borrowed time and President Donald Trump is eager for a post-midterms reshuffle as Democrats are to take control of the House in the new year, said the Axios report.

CNN reported that the president and Kelly have stopped speaking to each other in recent days, citing two White House sources.

However, the CNN report, quoting a source, said nothing is final right now and ultimately it is up to Trump.

In July, Kelly said that Trump had asked him to stay on as chief of staff until at least 2020, to which he agreed.

Trump has been widely expected to reshuffle after the Nov. 6 midterm elections and before the start of the second half of his first term.

Kelly replaced Reince Priebus as chief of staff last summer.