Chelsea are set to offer a new contract to defender Reece James after links between the defender and interest from Manchester City and Real Madrid.
The 22-year-old has been a regular for the Blues in each of the last three seasons and is a regular with the England squad having won the Champions League trophy in the 2020/21 campaign with Thomas Tuchel’s side.
James, who first started training with Chelsea at the age of six, is reportedly among the club’s lowest earners on £80,000-a-week and the Blues are said to be keen on offering the defender an extended deal to stay at Stamford Bridge.
News outlet i have revealed that the Blues are set to hold talks with James, with the defender’s contract still having three years remaining on it at present. James is already ahead of Liverpool ’s Trent Alexander-Arnold in Gareth Southgate’s pecking order in the Three Lions’ squad, with links between him and City meaning he could be seen as a potential long-term replacement for Kyle Walker for both club and country.
A source has claimed that James’ new contract offer would take him until his late 20s and given the defender is only 22 now, the deal would likely be a bumper contract offer.
With Chelsea seeing him as a potential future captain of the club, they are said to be keen on securing his services for longer, with City and Real both said to be monitoring the full-back’s future. James and his representatives are said to be keen on talks to extend his stay at the club.
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James has played 123 times for Chelsea’s first-team and scored nine goals in all competitions during a run that has seen the defender win the Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup.
Links between James and City could mean that Pep Guardiola eyes James as a potential replacement for Walker at the Etihad Stadium. Walker, 32, has two years left on his contract at City.
The same outlet back in May claimed that the Blues were also keen on talks to offer midfielder and fellow England star Mason Mount a mega new contract that would increase his wages by more than double his current salary.
Mount is into the final two years of his deal at Stamford Bridge and has been a key man for the Blues in his three seasons in the first-team squad, scoring 30 goals in 160 appearances in all competitions and playing over 50 club games in three consecutive seasons for the club he also joined at the age of six.
Chelsea are yet to make a signing this summer but are reportedly in advanced talks to sign winger Raheem Sterling, as well as centre-back Nathan Ake, both from City.
Going out of the club, Blues winger Hakim Ziyech has been linked with transfer interest from Italian giants AC Milan, while Spanish defensive duo Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso have been linked with Barcelona and could be used in a potential swap move. The Blues have been linked with considering hijacking a deal to sign midfielder Frenkie de Jong ahead of Manchester United.
