Chelsea face Brazilian side Flamengo in Philadelphia in their second match of the FIFA Club World Cup on Friday.
The Blues cruised to a 2-0 win over MLS side Los Angeles FC in their opening group stage, with Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez on target for Enzo Maresca’s side.
Tunisian side ES Tunis are the other side in Chelsea’s group at the tournament, and Maresca will therefore expect to see his side progress to the knockout stages.
Off the pitch, it appears that one of Chelsea’s fiercest rivals are eyeing a move to hijack their pursuit of a Bundesliga star.
As reported by CaughtOffside, Arsenal are hoping to beat the Blues to the signing of Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens.
Gittens could be on his way to London this summer with both Chelsea and Arsenal interested (Photo: ZUMA Press, Inc/Alamy)
According to the report, the Gunners are keen to add a new attacker to Mikel Arteta’s squad this summer and have now identified Gittens as a target.
Gittens, 20, joined Dortmund’s youth setup after leaving Manchester City in 2020 and has since forced his way into the first team.
The Englishman has now played more than 100 times for the German giants, scoring 17 goals and providing 14 assists.
It is claimed that Chelsea are still working on a deal to land the youngster, having reached an agreement on a long-term deal with the player himself and pushed strongly to sign him during the first transfer window of the summer.
Dortmund’s asking price for Gittens is said to be around £51 million, with the winger under contract until the summer of 2028.
Arsenal had previously explored a move for Athletic Club’s Nico Williams, the report claims, but the Spaniard’s wage demands proved too high for the North London side and they are therefore assessing other options.