Borussia Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl insists he is yet to hold any talks with Bayern Munich over a possible transfer deal for Jamie Gittens.
Gittens’ future has been the subject of intense speculation this summer, with the 20-year-old winger having fallen out of favour under BVB head coach Niko Kovac in the second half of last season.
It’s understood Gittens grew increasingly frustrated with his role towards the end of the campaign and Chelsea were alerted to the situation before initiating contact with both the player and Dortmund.
Widespread reports earlier this month claimed the Blues had agreed personal terms with Gittens’ camp and the youngster was said to be eager to speed up a return to English football.
However, Chelsea have failed with two separate offers to prise Gittens away from the Westfalenstadion. It’s believed Dortmund are holding out for a fee in the region of €60million (£51m) for the forward.
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Strong interest from Bayern has provided another potential hurdle for Chelsea in their pursuit of Gittens, with the Bundesliga champions forced to consider alternatives to the seemingly Barcelona-bound Nico Williams.
But at this stage, there has been no discussion between the two German rivals, according to Dortmund chief Kehl.
‘I’m not currently in contact with Bayern’s sporting director Max Eberl,’ Kehl said when asked about the rumours during Dortmund’s Club World Cup training session in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
‘But otherwise we have a very good relationship.
‘Nevertheless, there’s nothing to say on the subject at the moment.’
As well as Gittens, Bayern are thought to have placed AC Milan’s Rafael Leao, Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo, Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola and Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma on their shortlist of attacking targets.
Bayern chief Eberl flew out with Vincent Kompany’s squad earlier this month and had been expected to remain in the United States for the duration of the side’s Club World Cup campaign.
But Eberl ‘unexpectedly’ left the tournament to attend to attend to business in Germany three days ago and Kehl confirmed that Dortmund’s managing directors, Hans-Joachim Watzke and Carsten Cramer, had done the same.
‘They’re both traveling a lot, have many appointments, but will be back soon,’ he added.
‘This has to do with many issues. These aren’t transfer issues. We’re already following them here.’
Kehl revealed last week that talks were ongoing between Dortmund and Gittens with a view to finding a resolution over the Englishman’s future.
‘We’ve had one or two conversations with Jamie in the last few days,’ he said following BVB’s goalless draw with Fluminense.
‘He’s professional enough to know that he has to perform. That’s part of his nature.
‘Jamie will still be very important for us in this tournament. We’ll see what happens after that.
‘But I don’t have a negative opinion of him.’
Gittens, who has been capped 11 times by the England Under-21 side, is tied into a contract with Dortmund until June 2028.
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