Chelsea finalises Gittens arrival
Having sealed their place in the Club World Cup semi-finals, Chelsea have announced Jamie Gittens as their seventh signing of pre-season.
Chelsea has made England Under-21 international Jamie Gittens its seventh signing of a busy transfer window, paying Borussia Dortmund an initial £48.5 million ($101 million) for the winger.
Performance-related add-ons present in the deal could reportedly take the total package to £55 million ($114.5 million), with Gittens penning a seven-year contract with the Blues.
Chelsea attempted to sign Gittens before the FIFA Club World Cup began last month, but Dortmund's chief executive, Lars Ricken, said the Blues had failed to meet his valuation of the Manchester City academy product.
However, ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup quarter-finals, Ricken confirmed an agreement had been reached for Gittens to join the Premier League side, and on Sunday (AEST), Chelsea announced the deal was complete.
"It feels great," Gittens said. "It’s a great feeling to join such a big club as Chelsea.
"I can't wait to learn from everyone in the team and to push myself to the max here. It's an amazing feeling."
Gittens's arrival follows the acquisitions of Joao Pedro and Liam Delap from Brighton and Hove Albion and Ipswich Town, respectively, while Chelsea has also finalised pre-agreed moves for Estevao, Dario Essugo, Mamadou Sarr and Kendry Paez.
Gittens made 32 appearances in the Bundesliga in 2024-2025, scoring eight goals – double the total he managed across his first three campaigns in Germany.
He attempted 160 dribbles and completed 77, both team-high figures for Dortmund in the 2024-2025 Bundesliga, while he also created 21 chances as it salvaged a fourth-place finish after a poor start.
Gittens was limited to just 14 minutes across Dortmund's first four games at the FIFA Club World Cup, and he was in attendance for Chelsea's 2-1 quarter-final win over Palmeiras on Saturday (AEST).
He will, like Estevao, be ineligible for the Blues' semi-final against Fluminense on Wednesday (AEST), with his competitive debut potentially coming against Crystal Palace on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.
