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Christophe Freund has refused to rule out leaving Red Bull Salzburg to become Chelsea's new sporting director.
According to The Mail, the 45-year-old is among the names on the Blues' shortlist for the role and has held talks with Todd Boehly. It is understood that talks initially took place when the Premier League side were chasing young striker Benjamin Sesko during the summer transfer window.
Freund was also present during the Austrian club's impressive 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League group stage on Wednesday (September 14).
Speaking about the rumors linking him with the Premier League giants, the Salzburg sporting director stated:
"You should never rule anything out in football and Chelsea are such a huge club. But I'm sports director in Salzburg and I really enjoy it. Chelsea is a huge club in transition. I can't say exactly what will happen in the next few weeks and months."
Freund also confirmed that the west London club tried to sign Sesko, who is considered one of the most promising strikers in European football, in the summer. He added:
"I've had exchanges with Chelsea from time to time. We spoke more often a month or two ago because they were interested in Sesko. The new owners are interested in how we do it with young players, how we integrate them into the first team. But you do that again and again with other clubs, that's it."
Graham Potter 'frustrated' by Chelsea's draw with RB Salzburg
The Blues now sit bottom of their Champions League group and are still looking for their first victory in Europe this season.
The display at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday was certainly an improvement from their 1-0 defeat at Dinamo Zagreb last time out. However, manager Graham Potter feels his new team should have won.
Raheem Sterling netted his fourth goal of the season to put the hosts ahead but Thiago Silva's missed tackle allowed Noah Okafor to equalize.
After the full-time whistle, Potter told a press conference (as per BBC Sport):
"We're frustrated with just one point but I thought the application of the players was fantastic. They gave everything and I was very proud of how they acted today. It's not been easy for them either."
"You know, a change of coach and all that comes with that, but their response has been brilliant. They've acted really well; professional, honest, responsible. So from an effort perspective, it was absolutely 100% there."
