Premier League clubs including Chelsea, Arsenal and Newcastle United have been handed a boost in their pursuit of Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens this summer.
The 20-year-old followed in the footsteps of English talents including Jude Bellingham and Jadon Sancho by moving to Dortmund in 2020 after spending time in the academies of Reading, Chelsea and Manchester City.
Gittens has since developed into a first-team player for BVB and has made a total of 82 appearances across the last two seasons, recording 12 goals and five assists in 48 games this term.
The England Under-21 international suffered a dip in form during the second half of the campaign and was reduced to only three starts in Dortmund's final 12 Bundesliga matches.
Nevertheless, a host of top European clubs are said to remain interested in Gittens ahead of the summer transfer window, with a return to England for the Reading-born winger having been mooted.
Recent reports have claimed that Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool have all been alerted by Gittens's availability after he allegedly announced his exit plans to Dortmund teammates.
© Imago
'There's definitely a market for Gittens'
Newcastle, who are searching for a replacement for Miguel Almiron following his sale in January, are another English club believed to hold an interest in Gittens, and Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl has refused to rule out an exit for the winger.
Speaking to Sport1, Kehl said: "There's definitely a market for him. He's a very exciting player. We'll be having discussions soon. If offers come in, we'll have to deal with them."
Dortmund secured a top-four finish on the final day of the Bundesliga season to qualify for next season's Champions League, but the futures of several players including Gittens remain up in the air, with Kehl having made it clear that the club is keen to balance their books.
"We want to reduce wages," the BVB chief added. "That said, it's possible we'll continue with some of these players, but some may no longer be part of the BVB squad next season."
Gittens is under contract at Westfalenstadion until June 2028 and it is understood that Dortmund have lowered their asking price for the winger, who is now valued between €60m (£49.7m) and €70m (£57.9m).
If Gittens is to leave Dortmund this summer and return to England, they he is likely to prefer a move to a club competing in next season's Champions League - both Newcastle and Chelsea still have work to do on the final day of the Premier League season to secure a top-five finish.
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Oliver Thomas
