Chelsea are reportedly closing in on signing Jamie Gittens, while Borussia Dortmund want to buy a £35million-rated Stamford Bridge star.
It is no secret that Enzo Maresca wants to bring in a new left-winger this summer with Gittens emerging as the top target.
They tried to sign the 20-year-old Englishman before the Club World Cup but while personal terms have been agreed, Dortmund rejected Chelsea’s £42m bid.
Both club and player are determined to make the move a reality and positive talks have been held between the two sides, with Sky Sports reporting that a deal is getting closer and the transfer ‘very likely’.
However, any business won’t take place until the conclusion of the Club World Cup with both the Blues and Dortmund through to the round-of-16.
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But it has also been reported that the Bundesliga giants have stepped up their interest in Chelsea’s highly-rated teenage defender Josh Acheampong.
The Independent report Inter Milan, Newcastle United and Tottenham are also eyeing up the 19-year-old who made his full Premier League debut in January.
Acheampong made 12 appearances across all competitions last season, helping his boyhood club win the Conference League, with Maresca singling him out for praise on numerous occasions.
Capable of playing at centre-back or right-back, he started Chelsea’s latest Club World Cup game – a 3-0 win over ES Tunis on Wednesday.
It is said Acheampong wants more first-team opportunities but it remains to be seen whether or not the Blues will let him leave having already rejected several loan offers.
But the report adds that Chelsea could be willing to let their promising star go for £35m and could be happy to do business with Dortmund if all goes smoothly with the Gittens transfer.
For now, Acheampong is hoping to feature when Chelsea take on Benfica on Saturday night in Charlotte, saying: ‘It’s important the manager has faith in me. It means I get to play – and I’m very happy to have played [against ES Tunis].
‘Benfica are a really big club, but every game in this competition is hard. So while we need to focus on the opponent, the most important thing is that we focus on ourselves.
‘It [the Club World Cup] is really exciting. We’re into the knockouts now and every single game is important. We just have to keep winning.’
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