Chelsea are reportedly close to a deal with Christoph Freund which would see the Salzburg transfer guru take over as Stamford Bridge’s new sporting director.
The Blues have been looking for someone to fill the position for months, since new co-owner Todd Boehly took over in June.
According The Guardian (opens in a new tab)Freund has been identified as the man they want to lead in the future, and an agreement on personal terms is close.
Talks are ongoing with the Austrian side, with whom Chelsea drew 1-1 in the Champions League last week in Graham Potter’s first game in charge since taking over from sacked boss Thomas Tuchel.
Freund has an impressive resume. While at Salzburg, he orchestrated the signings of Erling Haaland, Sadio Mane, Naby Keita and Dayot Upamecano, all of whom played for major European clubs.
The Austrian has been in the job since 2015 and previously turned down offers from elsewhere, but is eager to move to London.
It’s been a very busy summer in the market for Chelsea, who have been the biggest spenders in Europe having spent more than £250million on new signings.
Wesley Fofana, Kalidou Koulibaly, Marc Cucurella, Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were among the top signings.
Their arrivals didn’t trigger an immediate improvement in performance, however, as Tuchel was sacked on September 9 after a Champions League loss to Dinamo Zagreb.
Chelsea have collected 10 points from their first six Premier League games, and Potter will be hoping to turn things around quickly.
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