will sound out former Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards about replacing Marina Granovskaia as the club’s transfer chief, according to reports.
The west club have suddenly been thrown into a state of flux after both chairman Bruce Buck and director Granovskaia decided to step down from their roles, with co-owner Todd Boehly assuming their responsibilities.
Granovskaia, who moved to Stamford Bridge when Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003, headed up all transfer business and contract talks and her departure leaves a mammoth void.
The Russian-Canadian was regarded as one of the savviest operators in football and won the Best Club Director award at last year’s Golden Boy awards.
Boehly – who has no prior experience running a football club – will now try and fill those rather large boots, becoming the club’s interim sporting director for the rest of the transfer window.
But Chelsea still intend to bring in a new permanent sporting director as soon as possible and, according to , have their eye on former Liverpool chief Edwards.
The 42-year-old enjoyed enormous success at Anfield, helping build a team that has reached three Champions League finals in recent years – winning one – and which ended a 30-year wait to lift the Premier League trophy.
During his time in charge of transfers, Edwards signed the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Fabinho, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, as well as bringing in a number of young, up-and-coming talents, while also managing to get sizeable fees for surplus-to-requirements players.
He ticks all the boxes for Chelsea and the west London club’s new hierarchy intend to sound him out about taking over at Stamford Bridge, with Edwards having now left his role at Liverpool.
But he is not the only name in the frame, with Atletico Madrid’s Andrea Berta also linked with the post while Chelsea’s former director of football Michael Emenalo – who is currently out of work – could also be an option.
Whoever is appointed to replace Granovskaia, they are extremely unlikely to be in place in time to make an impact this summer with the responsibility of improving the squad in the transfer market falling on Boehly.
It was the American who negotiated Romelu Lukaku’s loan back to Inter Milan and he will now be tasked with strengthening Thomas Tuchel’s squad, with the German wanting a host of new additions including a striker, two centre-backs and a right-back.
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