Chelsea could finally sign their very own Sadio Mane as bidders of the west London side look to revamp the club's faltering transfer model. Two of the three prospective owners have made it their priority to sign a technical director should their bid prove successful, according to The Athletic.
Todd Boehly’s consortium, Stephen Pagliuca and a group headed by Sir Martin Broughton remain in the running to take Chelsea off of Roman Abramovich's hands after the Ricketts family withdrew their proposal. Two of which, who have remained unnamed in the report, want to reshape the Blues' transfer model, with AS Monaco sporting director Paul Mitchell at the top of their list.
The technical director position at Stamford Bridge has been vacant since late 2017 after Michael Emenalo left. Marina Granovskaia, who has absorbed his role into her remit, has been fantastic for the Blues but Chelsea have suffered in the absence of an astute data-driven transfer chief.
READ MORE: Who is Paul Mitchell? The ex-Tottenham recruitment expert being monitored by Chelsea and Man Utd
Mitchell, who worked alongside Mauricio Pochettino at Tottenham Hotspur and uncovered Dele Alli, is world-famed for having enjoyed great success in the transfer market on a small budget. While a move to Stamford Bridge would offer greater funding, the former Wigan Athletic and MK Dons player's methodology could arm Thomas Tuchel's side with a flurry of exciting arrivals.
The 40-year-old has repeatedly been linked with a move to Manchester United, resultant of a fruit-bearing history with Ralf Rangnick at RB Leipzig. It was here where Mitchell became 'close friends' with the United boss, after success as the German side's head of recruitment and development.
He signed the likes of Ibrahima Konate, Dayot Upamecano and Christopher Nkunku during his time in the Bundesliga. Though prior to this, the Monaco technical director first dealt with the German boss in 2014 during his time at Southampton when Sadio Mane was signed from Red Bull Salzburg for £11.8million.
Mitchell, who has two years remaining on his deal with the French outfit, is reportedly set to leave the club. Earlier last month, L'Equipe reported that Monaco's club president Dmitry Rybolovlev is ready to part company with him.
The transfer guru has already expressed his affection for the Premier League amid the links with the west Londoners, but has suggested that he intends on finishing his job with Monaco first and foremost.
Speaking in an interview with The Independent in 2021, he said: "I have to say, I love the Premier League, I do. But I’m enjoying the challenges that working abroad have given me and I love that. I would never say never [about returning to England], but I have a large project here on my hands and I want to try to do the best job I can."
While it remains unclear at this stage when, or if, Mitchell will be leaving the club, Tuchel can begin plotting a dream summer transfer window. With such a mouth-watering back-log of success in the market, Chelsea can be hopeful of signing their own Mane or Nkunku should Mitchell swap Stade Louis II for Stamford Bridge.
