Chelsea reach agreement with Jamie Gittens and seek to seal £50m transfer

Chelsea are keen to add to their squad ahead of this summer’s Club World Cup and look set to make Borussia Dortmund star and former Man City man Jamie Gittens their latest addition

Chelsea look set to make Borussia Dortmund star Jamie Gittens their FIFTH signing of the summer as Enzo Maresca bolsters his squad ahead of the Club World Cup.

The Blues have already been extremely busy since the end of last season. Brazilian winger Estevao Willian is set to make his move from Palmeiras official alongside Ecuadorian youngster Kendry Paez. Chelsea have also signed Liam Delap and Dário Essugo from Ipswich and Sporting Lisbon respectively over the past week.

And those signings could potentially be joined by English wideman Gittens. As first reported by French outlet RMC Sport, the West London side have agreed on a seven-year deal with the 20-year-old to move to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea have tabled a £29.5m bid - although it's believed they'll need to go higher - and hope to get a deal secured before the first part of the summer transfer window closes on Tuesday. Gittens, an England under-21 international, was actually at Chelsea as a youngster as well as a host of other clubs.

He eventually found his way to Manchester City but quit the club in 2020 as he became the latest in a long line of promising English talents to move to the Bundesliga. He has since gone on to make over 100 appearances for Dortmund, scoring 17 goals - 12 of which came last season.

Despite still having three years left to run on his deal, it appears he will now depart Dortmund if the two clubs can agree a fee. Gittens has a £50m release clause in his contract, but Chelsea are hoping to get it done for slightly less.

Sporting director Sebastian Kehl admitted earlier this year that there was potentially interest in Gittens. He said: “There’s definitely a market for him. He’s a very exciting player. We’ll be having discussions soon. If offers come in, we’ll have to deal with them.”

“We want to reduce wages,” Kehl added. “That said, it’s possible we’ll continue with some of these players. But some may no longer be part of the BVB squad next season.”

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Gittens will arrive at Stamford Bridge as a possible replacement for Jadon Sancho, who has departed the club after Chelsea chiefs decided not to sign him permanently following his loan. The West Londoners have decided not to activate a £25m clause in the deal, and have consequently paid a £5m penalty.

In a statement on social media, the winger said: "Grateful for the experience. Big love to everyone at Chelsea who made me feel at home — teammates, staff and the fans. Wishing the club all the best moving forward. Truly grateful, Thank you Blues."

Sancho made 45 appearances across his season with Chelsea, scoring five goals and notching ten assists as Enzo Maresca’s side won the Conference League.