Borussia Dortmund playing hardball on €65m Jamie Gittens valuation despite 'positive' transfer talks with Chelsea

Per Florian Plettenberg, Chelsea have held a positive round of talks with Dortmund over a deal for Gittens but they have yet to meet the Bundesliga club's asking price of €65m. Dortmund are also said to be aware of the fact that rival clubs are growing in interest, although they are yet to hold talks with Bayern Munich over any potential deal.

Gittens was wanted by Chelsea before the start of the Club World Cup but they were unable to strike a deal in time, with Dortmund director Lars Ricken explaining that the bid came at too "short notice" for them to agree to his departure. Now, it appears Dortmund are continuing to put up a significant fight to keep the winger.

The 20-year-old has already made more than 100 appearances for Dortmund, scoring 17 goals and registering 14 assists. Chelsea have reportedly identified two potential alternatives to Gittens: Brighton's Joao Pedro and West Ham's Mohammed Kudus.

The Bundesliga giants will hope to gain some clarity over Gittens' future in the next few days. Chelsea, meanwhile, will hope for him to end up in a blue shirt.