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A top European club have 'started talks' with Borussia Dortmund star Jamie Gittens in a move that could put Chelsea on red alert.
Gittens, 20, has been heavily linked with a move away from Dortmund after scoring eight goals in the Bundesliga last season.
After being part of the academy setups at Chelsea and Manchester City, Gittens opted to up sticks and move to Germany in 2020 to sign for Dortmund.
Now, having enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2024-25, he has been courted by some of Europe's top clubs.
While Chelsea are said to be in contention to sign the winger, they will face stiff competition from Dortmund's rivals Bayern Munich for his signature.
According to Kicker, the Bundesliga champions are 'said to be in talks with the player' after their sporting director Max Eberl left the Club World Cup early to take care of transfer business.
A top European side are reportedly ready to make a £55million offer for Jamie Gittens
The news will come as a blow to Chelsea, who may now face stiff competition for his signature
The outlet reported that Bayern are looking at offering £55million for the England U21 star, which could result in a 'bidding war' with the Blues.
Although Gittens has made 11 appearances at international level for Lee Carsley's side, he is not part of the European Championship squad that reached the semi-finals of the tournament on Saturday with a 3-1 victory over Spain.
He is instead participating in the Club World Cup for Dortmund, where he was an unused substitute in their 4-3 win over South African side Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday.
That has put Niko Kovac's side in with a strong chance of qualifying for the knockout stages of the newly-expanded tournament.
They know that a win against against South Korean side Ulsan in their final group game will be enough to secure their safe passage to the next round.
Despite their reported pursuit of Gittens, Chelsea suffered a setback in their attempts to move into the last-16 after a disappointing 3-1 defeat by Flamengo on Friday night.
Having looked in control after Pedro Neto opened the scoring in the first half, Enzo Maresca's side imploded in a six-minute spell that saw them concede two goals and have Nicolas Jackson sent off only four minutes after he had been substituted on.
It means the west London side will require a victory against ES Tunis to be sure of their own spot in the knockout stages.
