Todd Boehly made a transfer move in the summer which may have involved discussions with Christoph Freund, who had looked to be the frontrunner to become Chelsea's new sporting director.
Boehly has been looking for a suitable candidate to fill the role for a while now, even before he appointed himself to the position on an interim basis over the summer transfer window that has just passed, during which saw the American oversaw an outlay of around £270million on new recruits.
Liverpool's Michael Edwards and Monaco's Paul Mitchell were two early frontrunners in the race to become the new Marina Granovskaia of SW6 but with one candidate wanting a break from football and another not wanting to be let go by his current club, both were not viable in the end as Chelsea continue to look for a solution.
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They thought they had their man in the form of RB Salzburg's Freund but the candidate who was reportedly very keen on a west London switch by his own admission altered his initial stance and he now appears destined to stay with the Red Bull group, who have also just recruited Max Eberl to join RB Leizig in Germany.
He said in a statement released recently: "As I have already confirmed in interviews, Chelsea FC was interested in me.
"When such a big club asks, it not only honours me and the work of FC Red Bull Salzburg, it is of course also a circumstance that entails personal considerations. But I've come to the conclusion that I'm in the best of hands with FC Red Bull Salzburg and that a change is out of the question for me.
"We're in the middle of a very intense phase and have important tasks to do in the Bundesliga, Cup and Champions League – that's what my focus and concentration are all on."
Attentions have now switched to other candidates, with Bayer Leverkusen's Tim Steidten and Leeds United's Victor Orta now prime contenders for the vacancy. But just how long have Chelsea been pursuing Freund before he decided to stay in Austria?
football.london understands it to be a few months of talks with the Austrian but Boehly is likely to have been in contact him, on transfer matters at least, for a longer period of time.
This is because the Daily Express have reported that Boehly tried to make a move for former Salzburg and current Leeds fan favourite Brendan Aaronson in the summer.
A move didn't come off for the Blues at the time but early conversations with Freund would have most likely taken place during these negotiations.
But with Mark Noble becoming West Ham's new sporting director following his retirement at the end of last season, could Chelsea go down the former player route as the number of candidates out there with outstanding expertise slims further?
Chelsea fans- Who do you now want to see become the next Chelsea sporting director? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
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