Cristoph Freund responds to links with ‘huge club’ Chelsea – ‘Never rule anything out’
Christoph Freund has refused to rule out a move to Chelsea as sporting director.
The RB Salzburg administrator has reportedly been in talks with Chelsea over the Blues’ sporting director role.
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The 45-year-old assumed a highly-visible role at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night as Salzburg claimed a 1-1 Champions League draw.
Noah Okafor’s counter-attack strike sent Chelsea to the foot of Group E after two matches, with new boss Graham Potter enduring a frustrating first night at the Blues helm.
Freund high-fived and embraced Salzburg players on the Stamford Bridge pitch after the match, also spending time with coaches and staff in soaking up a big result for the Austrians.
The Salzburg director then later chose not to dampen the links between him and a move to Chelsea.
“You should never rule anything out in football and Chelsea are such a huge club,” said Freund.
“Chelsea is such a huge club in transition. I can’t say exactly what will happen in the next few weeks and months.
“But I’m sports director at Salzburg and I really enjoy it.”
Chelsea are understood to have held talks with both Freund and Paris St Germain’s Luis Campos, with new owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali open to adding two new administrators to their recruitment team.
The Blues had talks with Salzburg in the summer regarding a possible transfer for striker Benjamin Sesko, with Freund admitting conversations with Chelsea had been broader than that in their scope.
“I’ve had exchanges with Chelsea from time to time,” Freund told Sky Sport Austria.
“We spoke a lot more a month or two ago because they were interested in signing Sesko.
“The new owners are interested in how we do things with young players, how we integrate them into the first team.
“But you have (those conversations) again and again with other clubs, that’s it.”
New chairman and co-controlling owner Boehly has acted as interim sporting director this summer.
Thomas Tuchel took a key role in recruitment until his sacking last week, with academy boss Neil Bath also heavily involved.
Chelsea spent a one-window Premier League record £273million in Boehly and Eghbali’s first dip into the transfer market.
The Blues are expected to continue chasing high-profile and big-money recruits in January and next summer.