Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly will have to go back to the drawing board in his search for a sporting director after RB Salzburg chief Christoph Freund snubbed a switch to Stamford Bridge.
Boehly and the new Blues hierarchy have stepped up their search for a transfer guru after the club finalised the appointment of Graham Potter as their new head coach earlier this month. A number of key Chelsea personnel, including chief negotiator Marina Granovskaia, left the club following Boehly's £4.25billion takeover - meaning the LA Dodgers chief oversaw the club's summer transfer business himself.
Freund was identified as a top candidate to fill the role in recent weeks and had held talks with Chelsea, who were hopeful of luring him to the Premier League.
