Chelsea have been handed another blow in their pursuit of Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens after a failed deadline day move.
The London club had hoped to bring in the 20-year-old ahead of their participation in the FIFA Club World Cup, but faced a race against time as the first summer window slammed shut at 7pm on Tuesday evening. While the deadline means little in the grand scheme of things, with the second window set to open in six days, it was a key milestone for clubs heading to the United States this month.
Chelsea stepped up their interest in Gittens last week, opening talks with their Bundesliga counterparts. However, Dortmund have so far held firm in demanding a higher fee than the Blues are currently willing to pay, which ultimately saw the deal collapse in the final hours of the window.
There had been speculation in the media that Chelsea could look to complete the deal ahead of the mid-tournament registration window, but it has since become clear they will need to wait until after the Club World Cup concludes to finalise the move. That’s because Gittens has been named in Dortmund’s squad for the tournament in the US and will represent his current club.
While players can be registered midway through the competition, FIFA rules state that they cannot be registered for two different clubs during the same tournament. In other words, if a player appears for one club, they are cup-tied and ineligible to feature for another - meaning Gittens will play no part in Chelsea’s campaign, even if a deal is completed before the tournament ends.
Chelsea are yet to confirm their squad for the Club World Cup, although The Telegraph reports that goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic and others who spent last season out on loan, including Raheem Sterling, Joao Felix and Axel Disasi, are expected to miss out.
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Chelsea flag prior the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg One match between Chelsea FC and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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