Chelsea hunting Dortmund defender Dede

Borussia Dortmund left-back Dede has claimed that he has been approached by Chelsea over the possibility of a summer transfer.

However, it appears that any proposed switch would hit a major stumbling block over a work permit for the 27-year-old Brazilian.

Dede has been outstanding for Dortmund in a difficult season both on and off the pitch, and even though he only agreed a new two-year deal in January, the Bundesliga club’s spiralling debts could force them to consider offers.

“There has been contact on two occasions, the first one was one-and-a-half months ago and the second one about two weeks ago,” Dede told the Ruhr Nachrichten newspaper.

“In order to play in England I must have played in three quarters of Brazil’s international games or hold an EU passport and I can’t offer that, but Chelsea claimed that they’d look for ways to naturalise me in Germany.”

Dede joined Dortmund from Atletico Mineiro in 1998, and helped steer the Westphalia outfit to the 2002 Bundesliga title.

This season the club’s very future was under threat, but a financial rescue package has ensured that they will play in the German top flight for at least one more season.