Chelsea are "set to reach" an agreement with RB Salzburg's Christoph Freund to become the club's new sporting director according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano.
Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly had been acting as interim sporting director but the acrimonious departure of former boss Thomas Tuchel, who publicly expressed his personal frustration at being involved in transfer decisions, appears to have convinced Boehly to relinquish the responsibility of such a role.
A deal for Freund is reportedly nearing completion, with Salzburg informed of the Austrian's desire to move to Stamford Bridge following Graham Potter's arrival in West London.
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Freund is considered to be a key figure behind the Red Bull Group's dramatic progression across the last decade, his ability to work with data and build strong professional relationships have previously been highlighted for praise.
Deals for the likes of Erling Haaland, Sadio Mane, Naby Keita and Dayot Upamecano were all completed under his watch.
A deal for Freund could also be advantageous with Boehly's hope to turn the Blues into a "multi-club model" - drawing on the likes of Red Bull and Manchester City's models.
"We’ve talked about having a multi-club model," Boehly said. "I think there’s different countries where there’s advantages to having a club. Red Bull have Salzburg and Leipzig in the Champions League. I want to continue building out the footprint. I think there’s different countries where there’s advantages to having a club.
"We know people and human capital. We understand game plans and strategies. We’re not expecting to be the football experts to find the best talent, we are going to put those people in place - our goal is to make sure we can show pathways for our young superstars to get onto the Chelsea pitch while getting them real game time."
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