Chelsea’s sporting director target Christoph Freunde has ‘discovered lots of top players’ during his time with Red Bull Salzburg, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Blues are currently searching for someone to fill the void that Marina Granovskaia left behind as new owner Todd Boehly looks to shape the club in his image both on and off the pitch.

What is the latest news involving Chelsea?

A recent report from the Daily Mail has revealed that Freunde is one of a handful of names on Boehly’s shortlist to fill the vacant role in the Chelsea hierarchy.

Former Liverpool chief Michael Edwards and Paris Saint-Germain consultant Luis Campos are listed as possible alternatives for the sporting director position, but Freunde’s experience may make him the first-choice candidate.

“We've talked about having a multi-club model,” Boehly admitted when speaking at the SALT Conference in New York. "I think there's different countries where there's advantages to having a club.

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“Red Bull have Salzburg and Leipzig in the Champions League. I want to continue building out the footprint. I think there's different countries where there's advantages to having a club,” he added.

Given Freunde knows the multi-club model well from his time in Austria, it’s easy to see why Chelsea may opt for the 45-year-old over the likes of Edwards and Campos.

What has Jones said about Freunde?

O’Rourke believes that Freunde has identified several young stars who have gone on to have ‘big careers at big clubs’ and that the sporting director role is a ‘key position’ that needs to be filled.

He told GiveMeSport: “I think Freunde has good experience from his time at RB Salzburg, he discovered lots of top players who have gone on and had big careers at big clubs.

“So, it's a key position that Chelsea really need to fill, the sporting director role, now alongside Graham Potter as Todd Boehly looks to organise things on and off the pitch at Chelsea right now.”

Who has Freunde discovered?

Freunde has been in his current role since 2015, overseeing an extremely successful period for Salzburg in which they have established themselves as the dominant force in Austrian football.

And the recruitment expert has brought in the likes of Patson Daka, Karim Adeyemi, Brenden Aaronson and Dominik Szoboszlai before selling them on for astronomical profits.

However, Freunde’s greatest discovery was arguably Erling Haaland, who has gone on to establish himself as one of the world’s top stars with Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City.