Chelsea could sign a Brighton head of recruitment for the second time in 16 months after making an approach for Albion transfer boss Sam Jewell, according to a report.
The Blues have made an offer for Jewell because of their “fears” that he will move to Manchester United if former Brighton technical director Dan Ashworth moves from Newcastle to Old Trafford, The Telegraph has said.
Jewell’s predecessor at Brighton, Paul Winstanley, joined Chelsea as director of global talent and transfers in November 2022.
Jewell had been the Seagulls’ head of scouting, working closely with Ashworth, who joined the club in 2019 and left for Newcastle in 2022.
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The outlet said Chelsea have not made an official approach and Jewell is yet to make a final decision over leaving Albion.
United have approached Newcastle for Ashworth, according to BBC Sport, leading to speculation that he could be reunited with Jewell under the new football operations side of the club led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos group.
Sam Jewell: Chelsea, Man United interested
Ratcliffe’s purchase of 25% of United for more than £1 billion, which was ratified by the FA and Premier League on Wednesday, is expected to bring about changes under the guidance of Sir David Brailsford, the man credited with reviving British cycling.
Jewell has been at Brighton since May 2016 and has operated as permanent head of recruitment for a year.
The 34-year-old’s father, Paul, managed clubs including Ipswich Town, Derby County and Wigan Athletic.
Brighton’s signings under Jewell have included top scorer Joao Pedro from Watford for a club-record £30 million in May 2023 and highly-rated Argentinian defender Valentin Barco from Boca Juniors for a reported fee of £7.8m in January.
Winstanley moved to Chelsea alongside manager Graham Potter in one of numerous signings the six-time top-flight champions have made from Brighton on and off the pitch.
Potter was sacked seven months later, with all but one of his backroom team leaving since then.
Chelsea have also paid Brighton £62m for Marc Cucurella – a world record for a full-back – and £115m for Moises Caicedo, the British transfer record.
