Chelsea have agreed a deal to hire Christopher Vivell as their new technical director after he was released from his RB Leipzig contract, 90min can confirm.
The Blues have held several rounds of talks with Vivell and, following his departure from the Bundesliga side on Friday, sources have confirmed that he is set to take up a similar role at Stamford Bridge.
Co-owner Todd Boehly is an enormous fan of Red Bull's multi-club model and is keen to bring something similar to Chelsea, and Vivell - who has experience with both Salzburg and Leipzig - is seen as the man to help implement that strategy.
Vivell will arrive as a technical director but the search is still on for a sporting director to take charge of the club's recruitment.
90min understands that former Liverpool chief Michael Edwards is Boehly's first choice for the role. Edwards rejected the chance to join earlier this summer as he sought time away from work following over a decade of service at Anfield, after which Chelsea turned to Salzburg's Christoph Freund.
The Blues felt they had a deal wrapped up with Freund, who pulled a public U-turn and ruled out a move, leaving Boehly forced to consider other options.
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Among those to have been spoken to over the sporting director role are Paul Mitchell, Monchi, Tim Steidten, Victor Orta, Lee Congerton and Luis Campos.
An appointment over a new sporting director is not believed to be imminent, with Boehly prepared to shoulder the recruitment responsibility over the new few months as he waits to make the perfect appointment.
Sources have stressed that Boehly could wait until the end of the season to make a second approach to Edwards, whose significant success during his time at Liverpool has piqued the new co-owner's interest.
Source : 90min