Chelsea's £50m move for Jamie Gittens 'could be done IMMINENTLY' as Blues continue talks for Borussia Dortmund star at the Club World Cup
Chelsea's move for Borussia Dortmund star Jamie Gittens could be finalised 'imminently', according to reports.
The English forward has been linked with a move to west London throughout the summer, and the Blues had tried to push through with a deal ahead of the Club World Cup registration window.
They were rebuffed then, however talks have reportedly continued regardless between the two parties, with hope of an agreement being met shortly, according to David Ornstein.
Chelsea's pursuit of the young forward had appeared to hit a bit of a stumbling block when it emerged that Bayern Munich were interested.
Their intervention, though, is now not thought to prove an issue, with the player himself preferring a move to Chelsea.
Gittens, who came through the ranks at Manchester City before moving to Germany, is said to remain 'fully committed' to the concept of joining Chelsea this summer.
An agreement is believed to be in place already between player and club, with terms including a seven-year deal which has become fairly routine for the Blues in recent seasons.
With both teams at the Club World Cup in the United States, talks between the two have been aided somewhat, despite not being able to agree a deal ahead of the early window slamming shut for the tournament
The Premier League side's initial £42million bid was rejected, with Dortmund wanting closer to £50m for their young star.
Dortmund Sporting director Sebastian Kehl is confident the winger will remain 'professional' as speculation continues over his future in Germany.
'We've had one or two conversations with Jamie in the last few days,' Kehl said.
'He's professional enough to know he has to perform. That's also in his nature. Jamie will still be very important for us in this tournament. We'll see what happens after that.
'But I don't have a negative opinion of him.'
Chelsea are considering a summer swoop for Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United, who are in turn looking at a potential move for Christopher Nkunku.
Nkunku is not seen as a priority for United currently but rather an option.
Garnacho has been on Chelsea's winger shortlist since January, when they were tempted to try for the 20-year-old Argentinian.
It was noted at the time that they could hold an advantage over rival clubs if they revisited the transfer this summer.
However, there could be concerns over his character, given his history of United fallouts.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
23 minutes ago
- Times
Wheelies and waistcoats at the Brompton world championship
It was a balmy weekend morning in north London and two men in floral shirts were being pursued by a butterfly. Not far behind came a giant bee on two wheels. Such was the intensity of the heat — and I don't mean the sun had got to me. These specimens of the natural world were taking part in cycling's most eccentric world championship. Some 500 competitors from 25 countries had come to King's Cross to race five times round a 900-metre circuit on a Brompton. The contest had been going in various countries since 2006 but it had come home to mark the 50th anniversary of this folding bicycle's invention. 'The event started in Barcelona, slightly as a joke,' said Will Butler-Adams, the chief executive of Brompton. 'To be fair, it still is a bit of a joke.' That doesn't mean there weren't some serious athletes — the men's champion, Alec Briggs, runs the Tekkerz professional cycling team and also took the world title in 2019 — but the field didn't take themselves too seriously. Lycra was strictly banned; fancy dress encouraged. 'Some people might train, but it's mostly about taking part,' said Butler-Adams, who raced in a Union Jack blazer. I counted lots of bright socks, a few kilts and some in suit and tie, which was a nod to the bicycle's heritage as a commuter vehicle but must have been sweltering in the 31C heat. It was bad enough for me wearing a Newlane folding helmet, shorts and polo shirt. And then there were the real oddballs: a man in a top hat and ruff; someone in gold leotard and tinsel wig; a couple of marshmallows; a bloke wearing fishnet stockings with the hull of a ship around his waist as a kind of tutu; another chap all in yellow with a head-dress of plastic bananas, peppers and corns on the cob. It matched the eccentricity of the bicycle's brand. Andrew Ritchie created the lightweight collapsible bicycle in the bedroom of his flat overlooking the Brompton Oratory in Kensington in 1975. After endless rejection letters from investors, his invention took off when it won the best product award at the Cyclex bike show in 1987. From producing 60 bikes a month under the railway arches in Brentford, the company now makes 100,000 a year, all at its factory in Greenford, west London, and sold in almost 50 countries. • I joined vigilantes on the trail of my stolen £5,000 bike Butler-Adams, who has been with the company for 23 years, said his customers bought the bike because it 'makes them happy'. With 20,000 bicycles reported stolen a year in London, there is an obvious attraction to one you can take indoors, though it is not cheap. They start from £950 and go up to £5,699 for the ultra-light (7.95kg) 12-speed 'T-line' model. Ritchie was not the first to invent a folding bike but Butler-Adams said the difference was that, as well as looking elegant, it 'rode bloody well'. Proving that this was a serious machine was the motivation for creating a world championship. There are also several national championships in America, Japan, France and elsewhere. Among those taking part was Sarah Ruggins, who in her youth represented Canada at running before contracting an autoimmune condition that left her unable to walk. After four operations, she took up cycling as a lower-impact activity and has excelled. In 2023 she took part in an unsupported race across Europe and this year she cycled from Land's End to John O'Groats and back — 1,700 miles in five days and eleven hours — taking seven hours off James MacDonald's record. She rode a Brompton for the first time last week, though, and her biggest concern was over a unique aspect of the race: it begins with a 'Le Mans' start, in which competitors must run to and unfold their bike. 'I've got it down to ten seconds,' she said. 'The first time was about four and half minutes. But for the first time in my cycling career, I'm seeing that you can ride a bike for fun.' • I've found the ideal cycling adventure ahead of the Tour de France It was the unfolding that did for me. Never mind my lack of fitness, trying to remember what I had been shown half an hour earlier in the heat of battle (and battling the heat) proved impossible. Was I meant to pull this first or twiddle that? Why are the handlebars the wrong way round? Why doesn't the back wheel just pop out with a shake like it does for others? I felt like Ian Fletcher, the hapless Brompton-owning BBC boss in W1A. Butler-Adams had warned me about this. While the really nerdy riders measure and log their unfolding time in thousandths of a second, when the knack goes it goes: last year one of the finalists took more than a minute to unfold his. I was comfortably the last one to get away and was lapped after a couple of bends by Briggs. Kidd sprints hard for the finishing line AKIRA SUEMORI FOR THE TIMES Still, it was fun once I got going: round by the canal, up a hill, past the gasholders, dog-legging through Granary Square, down a ramp and then a 200-metre sprint(ish) down the straight. By my second lap I had even begun to pass a few at the back. It should be noted for the record that The Times was the second cyclist home. Admittedly this was with a lap to go, having just been passed for a second time by Briggs during his victory lap. The man with the flag was anxious to clear the track. In the final Briggs won a trip to Luxembourg, a limited-edition bike and a bottle of fizz, as did the women's champion, Honor Elliott. I was just glad to be given a bottle of cold water. Still, to come in after a world champion, even two laps behind, was not bad for a fat, middle-aged man who hadn't cycled properly in years and had never before unfolded or ridden a Brompton. I later discovered that Briggs, once victory in our heat was assured, had been showboating and performed a wheelie on his final lap. Otherwise, perhaps he would have passed me three times.
Daily Mirror
26 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Ruben Amorim may copy Jurgen Klopp as Man Utd swap stance clear after £60m offer
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim could take a page out of Jurgen Klopp's book as his side look to step up their business this summer following a fresh £60million offer Manchester United aren't accustomed to taking their lead from Liverpool, but Ruben Amorim may do just that by swerving a move to sign Christopher Nkunku. The Frenchman is believed to be up for sale this summer after falling afoul at Chelsea, with the Red Devils among those said to be interested. The Telegraph reported on Monday that United and Chelsea are "weighing up" a potential swap deal involving Nkunku and Alejandro Garnacho. Both players have seen their stock plummet at their respective clubs of late, with each being touted to move in the coming months. Garnacho, 20, fell out with Amorim towards the end of this season when he was dropped for key clashes against Tottenham and Aston Villa. And the Argentina international appears to have hinted he's ready to leave after posting an image of himself wearing a Villa jersey with Rashford's name and number on the back, having spent part of this term on loan in Birmingham. Nkunku, 27, had lofty ambitions after he joined Chelsea from RB Leipzig in 2023 for an eye-bulging £52million. However, the France international wouldn't be expected to fetch the same fee today despite scoring 14 times in 22 starts this season. His career in England may have panned out differently had the boardroom brains at Anfield got their way. The Reds recruitment team identified Nkunku as a likeable target during his time in Germany. However, The Times reported Klopp stepped in to insist his side signed Darwin Nunez from Benfica instead. The manager got his wish, though many might wonder if Nkunku would have been the superior signing given Nunez's struggles in front of goal. And Amorim, 40, could conduct a similar hijack as United step up their interest in Brentford winger Bryan Mbeumo. That's after seeing an initial offer of £45m plus £10m in add-ons rebuffed by the Bees. The Red Devils have now returned with a second bid totalling £60m for the Cameroon international. Amorim has already added Brazil international Matheus Cunha to his squad this summer but appears adamant to continue strengthening his options in attack. Despite missing out on European qualification for the coming campaign, United's spending power doesn't appear to have been dented as badly as some predicted. Or at least the club isn't shying away from lavish expenses, confident in their ability to balance the books via other means. Amorim hasn't wasted much time in attempting to put his own imprint on the team during his first summer window at the Old Trafford helm. And adding Mbeumo to his selection would represent another statement signing given the player could well hold out for a team playing among Europe's elite next season. Any pursuit of Nkunku could be seen as more appealing given the implication that it would help offload Garnacho. However, that would still require a significant piece of negotiation as the two deals would have to be treated individually, rather than a straight swap. In any case, United's follow-up bid for Mbeumo appears to suggest he has caught Amorim's eye as the more desirable target. And if that is the case, it would illustrate the Portuguese's powers of persuasion, not unlike former Liverpool boss Klopp.
Leader Live
29 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Chelsea keeping ‘almost impossible' training very short in hot weather
Training was restricted for the Blues the day before the match at Subaru Park which will determine whether they progress to the last 16 of the Club World Cup, with the length of the session cut short and work restricted to a shaded area of the pitch. Maresca's team need to avoid defeat against the Tunisian side or face the embarrassing prospect of falling at the first hurdle of FIFA's revamped tournament. MD3 of the @FIFACWC 🆚 ES Tunis. 👊 — Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) June 23, 2025 And with conditions heavily impacting preparations the build-up to their final Group D fixture has been far from ideal. 'It is almost impossible to train or to make a session because of the weather,' said Maresca. 'Now we are trying just to save energy for the game. 'This morning's session has been very, very, very short. It's not easy in these conditions with these temperatures. We are going to try to do our best.' Maresca has said he will rotate his squad for the game with captain Reece James, who has been suffering with illness, one of the players likely to sit out, whilst defender Levi Colwill has also been unwell. Nicolas Jackson will serve a one-match ban after his red card for a studs-up tackle during the 3-1 defeat to Brazilian side Flamengo. Asked about the tournament towards the end of the Premier League season, the Italian said that players would not play if they were feeling fatigued in the US. Raising the intensity. 📈 — Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) June 24, 2025 Chelsea are on three points after their first two matches, following up a 2-0 victory over Major League Soccer side Los Angeles FC with the defeat by Flamengo. 'I always try to avoid excuses,' said Maresca. 'I always try to be honest. It's not about excuses, it's about reality. 'It's an excuse when it's not hot and we say that it's hot. That is an excuse. But if hot, it's hot. It's difficult to work with these temperatures but we are here and we trying to do our best and we will try to win. 'Now in terms of the session, it's impossible to do a normal session, otherwise you don't save energy for the game. 'We did the session this morning, it was quite short, we prepared for the game and we will try to do our best to go to the next stage.'
