Michael Edwards rejects Chelsea sporting director role as club begin contract talks with Armando Broja

Michael Edwards has rejected the role of sporting director at Chelsea as the club begin contract talks with Armando Broja, according to reports.

Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital’s takeover of the Blues at the end of May has spurred a summer of change at the west London club.

The likes of Bruce Buck, Marina Granovskaia and Petr Cech all departed from their roles on the board, with Boehly appointing himself as Chairman.

He is also their interim sporting director, with Chelsea keen to find a permanent appointment for the position.

It was revealed earlier in the summer that they were showing an interest in Edwards, who was formerly the sporting director at Liverpool.

However, the Blues have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of him, as the new board at Stamford Bridge begins to take shape.

According to The Athletic, Edwards has ‘turned down’ the opportunity to fill the role at Chelsea.

It is believed that he wants to take some time out of football, and he is therefore not looking at such an appointment for the time being.

As a result, Chelsea will need to look at alternative targets but there is a possibility that they won’t be able to hire someone for the role before the end of August.

Some of their potential options may already be employed at other clubs and, with the transfer window still open, they will already be working on their respective business elsewhere.

Whilst work is being done on the structure of the board, the Blues are still working on the situations of some of their players.

Broja has attracted a lot of transfer attention this summer, with the 20-year-old impressing during his loan spell at Southampton last season.

Armando Broja for Chelsea against Tottenham. (Alamy)

The likes of West Ham and Everton are keen on signing the striker, although it remains to be seen if a departure would be permanent or another loan deal.

However, the aforementioned report has revealed that the club would like him to sign a new contract, and talks are already underway to discuss an improved deal.

Broja made his debut for Chelsea in 2020 in the 4-0 win against Everton under Frank Lampard, and Thomas Tuchel has now included him in his squad for the start of the current campaign.

The Albanian international has come off the bench against the Toffees and Tottenham Hotspur so far, with the latter game proving to be a controversial affair.

Chelsea drew 2-2 with their London rivals, with the refereeing decisions made by Anthony Taylor being a big talking point in the aftermath of the clash.

The FA have now opened an investigation into Tuchel’s comments about the referee after the match.