Transfer insider Dean Jones has shared what he knows about the rumours regarding Leeds United chief Victor Orta and Chelsea.

Orta has now been at Elland Road for five years as sporting director but has recently been linked with an exit.

Reports have suggested that Chelsea have held internal discussions over a potential move for the Spaniard after they missed out on RB Salzburg’s Christoph Freund.

The Blues have both Orta and Bayer Leverkusen’s Tim Steidten on their radar, and Jones has shared what he knows on the former and a possible Stamford Bridge switch.

The Latest: Jones’ update

Talking to GiveMeSport, Jones said that he’s been ‘told’ Orta is indeed on Chelsea’s ‘long list’ of options, but reports there are ‘other strong contenders’, perhaps a silver lining for Leeds fans.

“I’m told he is on their long list as they seek to make sure they get the right man involved to help implement the long-term strategy. There are still some other strong contenders.”

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The Verdict: Fingers crossed

Orta hasn’t got everything spot on during his five-year stint in Yorkshire, however, he was the mastermind behind bringing Marcelo Bielsa to the club back in 2018 so deserves plenty of credit.

He has unearthed plenty of young gems in cut-price deals, with the likes of Illan Meslier, Pascal Struijk and Joe Gelhardt all now first-team regulars under Jesse Marsch.

Therefore, it would be a shame if he was to swap Leeds for Chelsea, but with a number of ‘strong contenders’ on Todd Boehly’s list, you’d like to think that there is a good chance Orta could remain in Yorkshire.