Chelsea open talks to sign £25m Borussia Dortmund star

Chelsea are in talks to sign Borussia Dortmund winger Karim Adeyemi, according to reports in Germany.

The 22-year-old scored five goals for Dortmund last season and started on the left wing in their defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League final last month.

According to Bild, Adeyemi’s performances have alerted the interest of Chelsea, who have already made an approach to the player’s representatives to discuss a possible move to Stamford Bridge this summer.

The report claims that Chelsea are planning to hold direct talks with Dortmund but they face competition from Juventus.

Dortmund are said to be demanding a €30 million (£25.3m) transfer fee for the winger.

Adeyemi scored the winning goal against Chelsea in the first leg of a Champions League knockout tie in February 2023 and Jude Bellingham praised his then-Dortmund teammate after the game.

‘We are really confident when he gets the ball one on one,’ Bellingham said.

‘Not many players can stop him. He had a tough time coming here at the start, finding his feet, and now he’s flying.’

Meanwhile, Chelsea’s first-team squad reported back for pre-season training this week and new manager Enzo Maresca has stressed the need to instil the ‘right mentality’ in his players.

‘When you join a club you try to analyse what the club and team needs to improve and do the right things,’ Maresca said.

‘For me, it’s clear we need to create as soon as possible the right mentality and culture, a culture the fans can be proud of.

‘We are going to try to be an aggressive team on the ball and off the ball and we need to create this connection between the fans and the club, especially at home.’

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