Chelsea Agree £52m Deal for Dortmund’s Gittens

Chelsea are closing in on winger Jamie Gittens after Borussia Dortmund confirmed an agreement has been struck between the two clubs.

The England Under-21 international is set to move for £48.5 million, with an additional £3.5 million possible through bonuses. Though the paperwork is still being completed, Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea finalised the agreement while both sides were in Fort Lauderdale for the Club World Cup.

Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl said: “The talks with Chelsea were challenging, but ultimately we are pleased that we can most likely realise our financial ambitions and then have planning security.”

He added: “Jamie is an outstanding player who has given us a great deal of pleasure. He now wants to take the next step in his career at Chelsea, and we wish him all the best and much success.”

Gittens, 20, first linked up with Dortmund in 2020 after departing Manchester City. During his time in Germany, he featured in 107 matches, scoring 17 goals and registering 14 assists. He hasn’t played senior football in England yet.

BBC Sport had already reported in June that Gittens had committed to a seven-year contract with Chelsea.

Participation for the Blues will be postponed until after the Club World Cup concludes.

Chelsea have been active in this window. The summer arrivals already include Liam Delap from Ipswich, Joao Pedro of Brighton, midfielder Dario Essugo from Sporting, and defender Mamadou Sarr from Strasbourg. Brazilian winger Estevao Willian, who is currently playing for Palmeiras, will join after his Club World Cup campaign — which may involve facing Chelsea in Saturday’s quarter-final.