Chelsea wanted Jamie Gittens in their FIFA Club World Cup squad, instead they were forced to watch on as he turned out for Borussia Dortmund in the United States.
The winger began the Black and Yellow's group stage opener against Fluminense on the bench in New Jersey. He eventually emerged as a substitute in the 77th minute, though was unable to turn the tide in a 0-0 stalemate.
It is not to be forgotten that Gittens could have made his maiden appearance at the tournament less than 24 hours before and 765 miles south west. If only Chelsea had struck an agreement.
The Blues ended up seeing a £42m offer for the 20-year-old from Reading turned away, not matching Dortmund's £50m evaluation. The transfer window then shut on June 10 before the Club World Cup began and the opportunity is on hold.
Gittens didn't need to play in the US, he simply only needed to be included in Dortmund's squad to then not be eligible to link up with the Blues were he to complete a move with the window reopened.
Whilst Enzo Maresca and Co. are distracted with matches, may they miss out entirely? football.london provides opinion on the latest headlines about the Dortmund star.
Arsenal hijack
CaughtOffside believe London rivals Arsenal are now making 'concrete' steps towards Gittens as a new attacking transfer target for Mikel Arteta's side.
As well as a new striker, the Gunners have heavily been linked with numerous alternative attackers. Major names who have been linked are Real Madrid's Rodrygo and Athletic Bilbao's Nico Williams.
However, the former seems set on staying in Spain to fight for his place whilst the latter has reportedly set his heart on a summer switch to Barcelona.
Seemingly because of that Arsenal have made Gittens a 'priority', or so it is rumoured, with internal discussions ongoing over how to proceed.
football.london says: Gittens is such a talent that it would be no wonder if the likes of Arsenal weren't linked with his future transfer. They're not the first English club other than Chelsea to be mentioned in this story and if it goes on any longer, they surely wouldn't be the last. The Blues can at least argue that they are on level pegging with their rivals as both qualified for next season's Champions League, or they could even argue that their silverware prospects are better having won more recently than Arteta's side.
Gittens stance
If Arsenal are ready to enter in the picture, Fabrizio Romano suggests Chelsea would have nothing at all to fear.
He says Gittens is not 'opening new doors' at this point in time as he is going to maintain his wish to move to Stamford Bridge.
This comes after multiple outlets reported an agreement for a bumper seven-year contract has already been struck, one that he is more than pleased to commit to even if Dortmund and the Blues are yet to settle on a fee.
Discussions are ongoing.
football.london says: We've it before with certain players subject of interest from Chelsea, let's take Moises Caicedo as an example. Liverpool looked to storm ahead for his signing two years ago but he had given his word to the London club so rejected that advance. Players like Gittens see that happen and then what has transpired since - they know Maresca's project is a strong one and they are more than pleased to join. Things continue to look up.
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