Chelsea finalising appointment of new director
Chelsea are putting the finishing touches on a deal to appoint Christopher Vivell as a new director, 90min understands.
Vivell was part of the RB Leipzig setup when he first held talks with Chelsea earlier this year, and he was released from his contract with the Bundesliga side soon after, allowing the Blues to step up negotiations.
Contract terms have been agreed between Chelsea and Vivell ever since but sources have confirmed to 90min that finalising a deal has not been possible as the 35-year-old has had some loose ends to tie up in Germany.
Importantly, Chelsea have not attempted to rush either Vivell or Leipzig in an attempt to preserve their relationship with the Bundesliga side ahead of the January transfer window.
Christopher Nkunku has already agreed to join Chelsea at the end of the season and the Blues are now focused on bringing teammate Josko Gvardiol to Stamford Bridge with him, and so extreme caution has been taken to ensure Leipzig have no reason to complicate things for Todd Boehly and the rest of the Chelsea hierarchy.
Now, the path to Vivell has opened up and Chelsea are putting the finishing touches on the latest addition to their boardroom.
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Vivell was initially expected to join as technical director before that official title was given to Laurence Stewart, but a different role will be given to the former Leipzig man.
Alongside Stewart, Chelsea have already recruited Paul Winstanley from Brighton and have plans to appoint both Vivell and Southampton recruitment chief Joe Shields, with Boehly looking to rejuvenate the Blues' transfer committee and oversee a transition to a multi-club model similar to that used by Red Bull.
A sporting director also remains on the agenda, with former Liverpool chief Michael Edwards the top target, but Boehly will continue to operate in that role until the perfect candidate is found.