Chelsea are 'discussing the merits' of Leeds United's Victor Orta as they search for a new sporting director after Christoph Freund decided to stay at Red Bull Salzburg.
Freund has been persuaded to stay in Salzburg after provisionally agreeing a deal with Chelsea on Sunday to become the club's new sporting director.
"Yes, it's true that Chelsea wanted me and we had talks," Freund told the Daily Mail. "But I've come to the conclusion I'm in the best hands with Salzburg and that a change is out of the question for me."
Bayer Leverkusen's Tim Steidten is among the candidates that the Blues are set to open talks with, while the Telegraph have claimed Orta is understood to be discussed along with others.
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Chelsea's new owners first dealt with Orta this summer as they tried to sign former Leeds winger Raphinha, who instead chose to join FC Barcelona.
Steidten was only appointed as Leverkusen's sporting director this season and it is unclear if he would be willing to make a move so soon. Leeds have won promotion via the Championship and secured a third straight season in the Premier League since Orta arrived at the club in 2017.
He has previous experience at Middlesbrough, Elche, Zenit Saint-Petersburg and Sevilla. Chelsea's co-owner Boehly appointed himself as interim sporting director but wants a permanent option for the role before the World Cup so that they can prepare for the January transfer window.
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