Oliver Mintzlaff to stay at RB Leipzig amid interest from Chelsea. (Imago)
Chelsea have suffered another blow in their search for a sporting director. RB Leipzig chief executive Oliver Mintzlaff has reiterated his commitment to his current club.
The Blues have been on the hunt for a sporting director for some time now. New co-owner Todd Boehly has been acting as the interim sporting director and even guided the club through the summer transfer window.
Christoph Freund had emerged as a favourite for the post, but the RB Salzburg executive announced that he would continue his current role and won’t be moving to west London.
This led the Blues to move on to other targets. Freund is not the first to turn down the offer from the Blues with former Liverpool transfer guru Michael Edwards also snubbing the west London club.
Boehly is a fan of the multi-club system at the Red Bull group. He wants someone of that expertise to help him establish something similar with Chelsea. That is why they explored the possibility of signing RB Leipzig chief Mintzlaff.
However, such expectations lived short as the Leipzig chief has publicly confirmed that he won’t be leaving his current side. Speaking to Sky Sport (h/t Evening Standard), the German said that he was happy and has further ambitions with his Bundesliga side.
“I’m under contract with Leipzig until 2026, I will fulfil my contract here with great pleasure. We still have a lot of plans. Not only on the pitch. I feel comfortable here at Leipzig.”
This will come as a blow to Chelsea as their options grow thinner day after day. Now is the best time to hire someone for the top job. With the World Cup break in November, the chief can scout players for the club to sign in the January transfer window.
It remains to be seen who will be hired as the sporting director at Chelsea. If Boehly fails to find someone, it could potentially be a long winter transfer month for the Blues.
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