Chelsea are facing several challenges in their attempts to bring in a new director of football following the arrival of new manager Graham Potter.
The club thought they had a deal in place to appoint Christoph Freund, but Red Bull Salzburg were adamant about not wanting to lose him.
And Freund eventually confirmed on Tuesday that while the interest from Chelsea was real, he is going to continue at the Austrian giants going forward.
Leipzig CEO Mintzlaff is someone Chelsea are also looking at, but the Bundesliga executive shut the door on all such speculation.
He stressed that he is not looking to walk away from his contract with the German club and has several plans for Leipzig going forward.
Mintzlaff told Sky Deutschland: “I am under contract at Leipzig until 2026 and I will also fulfil my contract.
“We still have a lot planned, not only on the pitch but off the pitch.
“I feel good where I am.”
Chelsea are keen to have a new director of football in place before the January transfer window.
