Chelsea player’s transfer blocked, club responds with strong statement over ‘wrong’ rumors
Chelsea winger Jamie Gittens might be leaving Stamford Bridge this summer as new manager Xabi Alonso looks to slim down the squad — but he definitely won’t be joining one club that’s been mentioned recently.
Gittens joined Chelsea last summer from Borussia Dortmund for £48 million, with a possible extra £3.5 million in add-ons. However, he found it tough to get much playing time in his first season, making only 16 Premier League appearances. He provided two assists but didn’t score in the league. His only goal came in a 4-3 Carabao Cup win over Wolves in October, where he also set up two goals.
This preseason, Gittens has been active, even scoring against the Western Sydney Wanderers. He started three games and appeared in five out of six friendly matches, including Chelsea’s 3-1 win over Real Sociedad on Sunday.
Still, it seems likely that Gittens’ future is away from Chelsea. Recently, he was linked with Turkish club Fenerbahce, whose transfer window stays open until September 4 — giving them a few extra days to make moves. But Fenerbahce quickly denied the rumors, calling the reports “false” and part of “artificially created agendas.”
The club’s official statement said they have no interest in Gittens and asked fans to ignore these unfounded stories, focusing instead on their upcoming match against Genclerbirligi.
Fenerbahce have been busy this summer, signing seven players, including Romelu Lukaku from Napoli for about £5 million, and Nathan Ake from Manchester City. They also made a record €39 million signing for Mason Greenwood.
Other Turkish teams have been active too — Trabzonspor signed Mohamed Salah after he left Liverpool, while Besiktas have brought in Orkun Kokcu from Benfica and Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard. Galatasaray have been quieter but tried to sign Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli and have been linked with his teammate Ethan Nwaneri. They might make more moves if Arsenal completes a trade involving their striker Victor Osimhen.
So far, Fenerbahce have also loaned Lesley Ugochukwu from Burnley and signed left-back Umut Erdem permanently. Meanwhile, Jamie Gittens’ future remains uncertain, but one thing is clear — he’s not heading to Fenerbahce anytime soon.