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Chelsea add Gittens to glut of attacking talent / Photo: © AFP/File
Chelsea add Gittens to glut of attacking talent
Chelsea added England under-21 international winger Jamie Gittens to their array of attacking talent on Saturday from Borussia Dortmund.
The Blues will reportedly pay an initial £48.5 million ($66 million) for the 20-year-old, who was in Chelsea's academy as a youth player, with a further £3.5 million in add-ons.
Gittens eventually moved to Manchester City's academy before signing for Dortmund in 2022.
He made 107 appearances for the German giants, scoring 17 goals, 12 of which came in the Bundesliga and Champions League last season.
"It's a great feeling to join such a big club as Chelsea," said Gittens.
"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 became Chelsea's fifth signing of another big-spending summer, joining forwards Liam Delap and Joao Pedro, midfielder Dario Essugo and defender Mamadou Sarr.
Brazilian rising star Estevao Willian, 18, will also join the Premier League giants, in a deal agreed last year, after scoring against Chelsea in Palmerias' 2-1 Club World Cup quarter-final defeat on Friday.
Gittens, though, will not be eligible to feature in Chelsea's semi-final against Fluminense on Tuesday or the final should the Blues progress.
"Jamie Gittens' career exemplifies the development of top talents at BVB," said Dortmund CEO Lars Ricken.
"We discovered him very early, signed him almost at no cost, continuously developed him in our youth academy, and provided him with playing time at the highest professional level.
"Jamie has repaid that trust with dedication, performance, and goals. His transfer back to his home country would be highly valuable for us."
Chelsea are under pressure to recoup some of their transfer spend in sales over the coming months.
On Friday, they were fined 31 million euros by UEFA for two breaches of financial sustainability rules, with a further 60 million euros suspended as part of a four-year settlement agreement.
Moreover, Chelsea, who have qualified for the Champions League, cannot register any new players for European competition unless they earn more from transfer sales than they spend on new signings.
L.M. Cardoso--JDB
