England Under-21 winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens has reportedly been left very frustrated after his proposed Chelsea transfer fell apart before the first deadline. The 20-year-old wanted to return to Stamford Bridge, where he was once part of the club's academy, joining in time for the Club World Cup group stage.
Despite reportedly agreeing a seven-year contract with the former Manchester City player, Chelsea's £42million bid was turned down by Borussia Dortmund ahead of the 7pm Club World Cup transfer deadline on Tuesday. Following this, Dortmund included Gittens in their 28-man squad for the tournament in the US. A local reporter, Kevin Pinnow, captured footage of him hastily leaving the club's training ground, apparently 'very frustrated' by the situation.
However, Chelsea may make another offer for Gittens and could still register him for the Club World Cup knockout stages if they secure his signature during the tournament and he doesn't feature in a group stage match for Dortmund.
This setback in signing Gittens capped off a disappointing day for Chelsea, who also missed out on AC Milan and France goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
The 30-year-old stopper has expressed his desire to join the Blues, and while Chelsea haven't yet made a bid, they hope to pursue him later in the summer. Maignan has one year left on his contract with Milan.
Chelsea's negotiations with Eintracht Frankfurt for forward Hugo Ekitike also reportedly fell through, leading to the Blues abandoning a deal before the Club World Cup. Liverpool do remain keen on the Frenchman.
Gittens is now hoping for a potential move to Chelsea later in the summer, and it will be intriguing to see if he features for Dortmund in their Club World Cup group stage matches against Brazil's Fluminense in New Jersey on June 17, South African team Mamelodi Sundowns in Cincinnati on June 21 and Japanese side Ulsan HD, also in Cincinnati, on June 25.
Chelsea's group stage fixtures are all scheduled one day before Dortmund's. The Blues kick off their campaign against MLS team LAFC in Atlanta, followed by matches against Brazil's Flamengo and Tunisia's Esperance in Philadelphia.