Chelsea are working hard to improve the squad for Enzo Maresca ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup.
There is a 7pm transfer deadline today (Tuesday 10th June) for deals to be completed before the competition begins on Sunday 14th June, with Manchester City already signing Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolves ahead of the tournament in the United States.
Chelsea were trying to sign Mike Maignan before the deadline, but abandoned the deal after feeling AC Milan were demanding too much for a player with only 12 months left on his contract.
However, Chelsea are still working on an agreement for Jamie Gittens as talks continue with Borussia Dortmund, and should a deal be struck, the Blues would find themselves in their very own Paul Pogba situation.
How Jamie Gittens can be Chelsea’s answer to Paul Pogba
Older readers may remember the saga which saw Pogba leave Manchester United.
The Frenchman rejected a contract at Old Trafford and walked away to join Juventus back in 2012, despite Manchester United wanting to keep the talented midfielder, and the Red Devils later spent millions to bring him back in 2016 – £89m to be exact.
Incidentally, Gittens was also once on the books at Chelsea, but, like Pogba, rejected the chance to stay as he felt his chances of a successful career were better served elsewhere, choosing to join Reading instead.
The England U21 international shared the story with the Secret Scout back in 2020, saying: “I went to Reading, and was also at Chelsea too for a bit. I got to Under-9s level where I had to pick between Reading and Chelsea. I picked Reading and stayed there until Under-14s.”
Now, like Manchester United did with Pogba, Chelsea face paying millions to bring Gittens back.
How much Borussia Dortmund want for Jamie Gittens as Chelsea continue talks
TBR Football understand Borussia Dortmund have already rejected a £42m bid from Chelsea for the 20-year-old.
The German giants are believed to want closer to £50m for their talented winger, who scored 12 goals and provided five assists in 48 appearances last season.
However, even if a deal fails to materialise before the FIFA Club World Cup transfer deadline, we understand Gittens is keen on a move to the Premier League, so an agreement could materialise after the competition, with the same going for the aforementioned Maignan.