Chelsea are ‘still at work’ over appointing a new sporting director but they remain focussed on the January transfer window, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The Blues’ new owner Todd Boehly is currently shaking up his backroom staff, and finding a successor for Marina Granovskaia appears to be at the top of his to-do list.

What is the latest news involving Chelsea?

It seemed as though Chelsea had secured their top target for the sporting director role after Fabrizio Romano reported that a deal had been agreed to bring in Christoph Freund from Red Bull Salzburg.

However, the 45-year-old chief decided to stay put with the Austrian giants, much to the shock of Romano and several other high-profile reporters.

“It was a very big surprise as a deal between Freund and Chelsea was 100% agreed on Sunday afternoon,” the transfer guru explained in his CaughtOffside newsletter.

“Both parties were ready to sign contracts this week on a five-year deal but then it collapsed because Red Bull group bosses wanted to keep Freund as an important part of the project.”

Freund himself even admitted that Chelsea ‘wanted’ him and that he was ‘proud’ of their interest, but Boehly has now been forced to assess alternative options.

What has Jones said about Chelsea?

Jones has informed GiveMeSport that Kyle Macaulay, Chelsea’s head of scouting, who followed Graham Potter from Brighton is assessing targets while the search for a sporting director continues.

He said: “Chelsea are still at work on the sporting director appointments, but that does not mean there is not work being done for January’s transfer market too.

“I’m told Kyle Macaulay is working on targets and is also involved in the discussions over who could be brought into that sporting director role, just to make sure the whole process and vision is streamlined.”

Who could Chelsea appoint?

Paris Saint-Germain’s Luis Campos was previously linked with the vacancy at Stamford Bridge, but he has since ruled himself out of contention, committing his future to the Ligue 1 outfit.

The latest candidate to reportedly appear on Boehly’s radar is Bayer Leverkusen’s Tim Steidten, according to The Guardian.

It’s claimed that Chelsea have approached the Bundesliga club to ask for further talks with the 43-year-old, while Leeds United’s Victor Orta has also been identified as a possible target.

Whether Boehly can convince either contender to make the switch remains to be seen, and he will surely be eager to make an appointment as soon as possible.