Chelsea are set to appoint Christopher Vivell as the club's new technical director after he left RB Leipzig where he held the same role, football.london understands.
Todd Boehly has been searching for a new technical director to add to the Blues hierarchy after Marino Granovskaia and Petr Cech left their roles following the American's £4 billion takeover at Stamford Bridge. Leipzig announced on Friday afternoon that Vivell had left his role with the Bundesliga club due to 'contrasting views'.
Boehly had pursued negotiations with the likes of former Liverpool director Michael Edwards and Red Bull Salzburg chief Christoph Freund, but talks proved to be unsuccessful. The American owner has now finally been able to make a key addition to the boardroom as he continues to make sweeping changes behind the scenes to fit in with his long-term vision for the Blues.
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The appointment of Vivell lines up with Boehly's vision of copying the Red Bull multi-club model which could see the American owner invest in various clubs around the world, growing Chelsea's global reputation and allowing the club to identify talented players in different continents. It could also benefit the Blues' pursuit of Leipzig duo Christopher Nkunku and Josko Gvardiol, with the former having already signed a pre-contractual agreement with Chelsea, football.london understands.
RB Leipzig released a statement on Vivell's departure on Friday afternoon, which read: "Christopher Vivell was dismissed from his position as technical Director yesterday (Thursday) with immediate effect, due to differences of opinion. The 35-year-old's duties will be carried out by the current set-up, until Max Eberl takes over as the new Managing Director of Sport."
Vivell's appointment is unlikely to be the last appointment as part of a restructure in the Chelsea recruitment team as Boehly looks to strengthen the backroom staff at Stamford Bridge. The Blues are expecting to be one of the busiest clubs in the summer transfer window again next year, after spending more than any other Premier League club in Boehly's first summer as owner, with the likes of Jude Bellingham, Nkunku, Gvardiol, Declan Rice and Frenkie de Jong thought to be on the club's radar.
This is a developing news story that will be updated with relevant information as we get it. More to follow...
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