Chelsea are reportedly pushing to sign Borussia Dortmund star Jamie Gittens before the summer transfer window is put on pause for the Club World Cup. Enzo Maresca is keen to work with as many new signings as possible at the competition, including the winger.
The Italian boss is in the heart of orchestrating a major rebuild of his ranks, having demanded reinforcements at both ends of the pitch. Chelsea have already won the race to sign Liam Delap for £30million, and they remain locked in negotiations for a handful of other stars.
Gittens is among those who they are pushing for, and they have already seen an opening offer worth £35.5million for the Englishman knocked back this weekend. BILD report that Gittens are demanding £59m to part ways with their No. 43.
The difference in valuations has not deterred Chelsea though and they are now preparing a second offer in the hope of striking a quick-fire deal. The Blues are also insisting on signing Gittens before the Club World Cup, which leaves them with very little time to reach an agreement.
The transfer window will close on June 10 to allow for the tournament to take place, and Maresca will be hoping that Gittens will be able to join up with his squad in the United States and feature in the competition.
Chelsea are also pushing to get a deal over the line for AC Milan’s Mike Maignan, having recently tabled an offer for the goalkeeper. The France international is heading into the final 12 months of his contract at the San Siro, which has caught the eye of the Blues who feel it is a chance to bring in a new No. 1 for a smaller fee.
However, Milan have previously insisted that their valuation had not dropped due to Maignan’s contract situation. It remains to be seen how they respond to the Blues’ offer of £15million and if the offer is near enough to their asking price that they would be willing to negotiate.
The Blues are in talks with Eintracht Frankfurt over Hugo Ekitike too, but there are other Premier League outfits also in the race – such as Liverpool – and it is unclear whether the French striker is in any hurry to make a decision.