Chelsea's stance on now selling Reece James after injury update at Stamford Bridge

In partnership with

GiveMeSport

·20 September 2023

Chelsea's stance on now selling Reece James after injury update at Stamford Bridge

Pause

Unmute

OneFootball Videos

Current Time 0:00

/

Duration 2:40

Loaded: 5.40%

Chelsea star Reece James is the subject of interest from Premier League rivals Manchester City as well as European heavyweights Real Madrid, and sources have now revealed to GIVEMESPORT the feeling inside the club around a potential sale of the England international in the near future.

James is a product of the Blues' youth system and replaced Cesar Azpilicueta as club captain in the summer, but has battled persistent injury problems over the last few years and has missed six games already this season due to a hamstring problem.

Chelsea transfer news - Reece James

James signed a six-year contract at Stamford Bridge last season, believed to be worth £250k per-week, and begun a new era under Mauricio Pochettino in west London by wearing the armband. Those factors would suggest his future with the Blues is ironclad, however they haven't stopped rumours of a potential move away. Real Madrid reportedly earmarked the 23-year-old as their priority right-back target as early as the 2021/22 season and have been continuously linked since, while Manchester City have also been widely mooted as keen admirers.

It has even been claimed by Football Transfers that the Premier League champions have held talks with Chelsea over a deal for the England international. Pep Guardiola's side are said to be keeping tabs on the situation, with Kyle Walker's recent contract extension having no bearing on their interest in the Blues defender.

Chelsea's stance on selling Reece James

Sources have confirmed to GIVEMESPORT that there is legitimate interest in James, with Manchester City and Real Madrid being the two most interested parties. However, Chelsea have no intention of cashing in on the 23-year-old - he is not for sale, and they will not listen to any offers that come in for James. At the same time, James has no intention of leaving Chelsea and instead wants to focus on regaining his fitness, captaining the club and challenging for trophies once again.

It seems the Blues are intent on keeping a player who is both world-class in his position and has an intrinsic connection to the club, even if his availability has been inconsistent in recent seasons. It's interesting to note how this differs from Chelsea's stance in the summer over Lewis Hall, who eventually left for Newcastle United, and Conor Gallagher, who could have moved to Tottenham on Deadline Day but ended up staying at Stamford Bridge.

As Ben Jacobs explained to GIVEMESPORT (quote below) on Deadline Day, Chelsea weren't openly looking to sell either player but were willing to cash-in if a club met their pre-determined valuations. At this moment, however, they appear to value James far more as a player in the squad than a potential asset in the transfer market.

"Chelsea are very rigid in their valuation [of Gallagher] because even though - much like Lewis Hall - they value the income that can bring in, they also value the player. So with Hall, he signed a new deal because Chelsea valued the player, but the offer was just too good to turn down, so they sold him, and that's exactly the same with Gallagher. They value the player, they're content if the player's still there at the end of the window. But if an offer that they believe is too good to turn down comes in, they would sell. But if it's below their valuation, they're not particularly interested in negotiating because it's not an outgoing that they're desperate to happen unless it makes financial sense."

Reece James injury news and expected return date

Despite Chelsea's stance of not entertaining a sale, James' injury problems will surely concern them. Since the start of the 2020/21 season, the defender has missed 60 games - albeit, he's still managed to appear in almost twice as many, 111, during that same time period.

James' most recent injury will be difficult to take as it came just one week into the season, when he suffered a hamstring injury in training. Initially, Pochettino claimed James would be sidelined for a few weeks, however the Chelsea manager suggested to reporters on Friday (quote below) that the 16-cap Three Lions full-back still isn't ready to return but will hopefully be back before the next international break. The Blues' final Premier League fixture before the next round of friendlies and Euro 2024 qualifiers is on the 7th October when they travel to Burnley.

"He's recovering well. I don't know if he's close or not because we assess him every single day, but he's started to do things on the pitch with the ball. He's really well. He's desperate to play for the team. Yes, I hope it's close, also so he can be available before the next international break."

Mauricio Pochettino's thoughts on Reece James

Despite the injury issues, Pochettino remains an avid admirer of James. At the start of this season, the new Chelsea boss described the defender as 'perfect' and 'the future of the club'.

"‘I think he’s not only a player that can be a leader, because he’s a leader with his character, his qualities,’ said the Argentinian. ‘He’s a person also that’s going to be the future of the club. He came through the Academy. I think for us, for me and for the club, he’s a perfect player, person, to be a captain."

For that to come into fruition, James will need to firstly remain at Chelsea, but also remain fit. Hopefully his latest problem is just a small blip in the road to recovery and the England international can go on to realise his full potential in west London.