Chelsea have reportedly had a second bid for Jamie Gittens turned down by Borussia Dortmund, who are demanding more money ahead of Tuesday's transfer deadline. The Blues are desperately trying to finalise their business so that any new signings can participate in the Club World Cup. However, Dortmund are proving tough negotiators over Gittens, the latest young English talent to shine in the Bundesliga, with the deal set to collapse.
Chelsea's initial offer was rejected and their most recent bid came in at €50million (£42.8m), but Dortmund are demanding an additional €5m (£4.2m) before they approve the deal. Gittens himself has expressed his desire to join the Premier League side.
Sky Sports Germany claim that the proposed transfer has now completely collapsed and will not be taking place on Tuesday, minutes before the 7pm deadline. Gittens will not join Chelsea for the Club World Cup group stage matches.
Personal terms were not set pose a problem, but the west London club needed to part with the required funds if they want the winger on board before they travel to the United States for this summer's tournament - where Dortmund will also be competing.
It's been a challenging few days for Chelsea as their recruitment efforts have encountered several obstacles. They're in the market for a new goalkeeper and Enzo Maresca is interested in signing Mike Maignan from AC Milan, who only has a year remaining on his contract.
However, Chelsea are unwilling to meet the Italian club's asking price of over £20m for French goalkeeper Maignan and that deal also collapsed. Their latest offer was around £12m.
Despite Maignan expressing his wish to move to Chelsea, their refusal to increase their offer means they will miss out for now.
Chelsea's current goalkeepers have failed to secure the position as their own, prompting the club to explore other options. In a bid to strengthen their attack, the Blues had set their sights on Frankfurt's Hugo Ekitike.
However, Sky Germany has also reported that Chelsea have been unable to reach a full agreement with the German club for the striker and have now abandoned efforts to finalise a deal before the Club World Cup. Liverpool remain contenders for the French forward.
So far, Chelsea's only significant summer signing is Liam Delap, who was acquired from Ipswich for £30m. Despite competition from Manchester United, Maresca managed to secure the young striker.
On Monday, they confirmed a deal to bring in Mamadou Sarr from sister club Strasbourg.