Chelsea has completed the signing of England youth international Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund in a deal worth £48.5 million, with a further £3.5 million in performance-related add-ons.
Softfootball can report that only four times since the start of the 2019 season has BVB sold a player for a fee larger than €50m. Jadon Sancho, Erling Haaland, and Jude Bellingham were the first three; now Gittens is the fourth.
The Athletic disclosed that the 20-year-old winger has signed a seven-year contract that will keep him at Stamford Bridge until 2032. Gittens becomes one of Chelsea’s marquee additions this summer as the Blues continue to bolster their wide options.
Gittens was officially unveiled on Friday, having watched Chelsea defeat Palmeiras in the Club World Cup semi-final in Philadelphia. Speaking to Chelsea’s media team, he said:
“It feels great. It’s a great feeling to join such a big club as Chelsea. I can’t wait to learn from everyone in the team and to push myself to the max here. It’s an amazing feeling.”
Chelsea had approached Dortmund earlier in June but was unable to finalise the deal before the Club World Cup. Gittens, who was determined to move to west London, is believed to view the transfer as key to boosting his chances of securing a place in England’s 2026 World Cup squad.
The left-sided attacker made 48 appearances in all competitions last season, scoring 12 goals and providing five assists, with Bayern Munich also reportedly monitoring his development. He joined Dortmund in 2020 after coming through Manchester City’s academy.
Dortmund sporting director Lars Ricken praised Gittens’ development and described the deal as “extremely valuable” for the Bundesliga side.
Gittens is Chelsea’s latest summer signing, following the arrivals of Liam Delap, Joao Pedro, Kendry Paez, Dario Essugo, Estevão, and Mamadou Sarr.
This transfer news has changed the narration as Softfootball had earlier reported that the London side are faced with UEFA fines over FFP breaches.
Chelsea’s €31m fine comprises €20m for exceeding permissible football-related losses and €11m for surpassing the squad cost threshold. Villa, meanwhile, were fined €5m and €6m for the respective breaches. These figures are part of broader settlement agreements, with Chelsea bound by a four-year monitoring period and Villa under a three-year term.
