After announcing the signing of Joao Pedro, Chelsea fans have been expecting to see another attacker’s move to Stamford Bridge made official.
It has been reported that the Blues have agreed a deal for Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund, after making him one of their priorities from before the transfer window even began.
Chelsea believe Gittens can make an instant impact on the first team squad, and fills a void on the left wing which has been provided by Jadon Sancho and Mykhailo Mudryk being unavailable for selection.
The Englishman was always going to be unavailable for the Club World Cup due to already featuring for the Bundesliga side, although it was expected that his addition would be confirmed by now.
Jamie Gittens’ move to Chelsea slows down
Pedro is available for selection for the quarter-final tie against Palmeiras, however it may be a while before his fellow new signing joins him.
Dortmund managing director Lars Ricken told Sport1 that Gittens had actually returned to the Bundesliga side’s camp in the United States, with nothing yet being finalised in terms of his transfer.
He said: “He’s in the hotel. We released him briefly once to hold talks, but he’s back now. I believe it is in the interest of everyone involved that we no longer take too great a risk that a player might get injured.”
“Nothing is finalized yet, and if anything, it will take a while. If there were a strong probability that such a transfer would work out, I would announce it here, but obviously I won’t.”
Clearly, he was refusing to rule out that the deal was set to happen, however things have slowed down in Chelsea’s pursuit of swift business this summer.
Enzo Maresca’s brilliant attacking options
Reports have claimed that Enzo Maresca wants eight or nine attacking options in his squad for next season, with the Blues returning to Champions League action.
Pedro Neto’s brilliant Club World Cup campaign has certainly put him in contention for plenty of minutes next season, however he will be under threat from incoming winger Estevao Willian.
It remains to be seen what happens with Noni Madueke. A number of top clubs are keeping tabs on his situation.
Arsenal are keen on Madueke, however at this stage things are not advanced when it comes to a potential deal.
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox
