Chelsea are on the cusp of striking an agreement with Reece James over a new long-term contract - with Blues chief Todd Boehly now planning to ramp up his efforts to tie Mason Mount down to fresh terms.
James has established himself as one of Chelsea's most important players over the past 18 months after breaking into the senior ranks at Stamford Bridge, but, like Mount, is currently one of the club's lowest earners.
The Blues have been unable to rectify that in recent months due to the restrictions which were placed upon them in the wake of action being taken against their former owner, Roman Abramovich. But Boehly's recent takeover means Chelsea have been able to negotiate deals again - and they have made swift progress in talks with James.
James is 'close to signing' a new deal with the Londoners, with talks over a bumper pay increase now at an 'advanced stage', according to The Times. The club anticipate that the 22-year-old defender will put pen-to-paper in the coming days to finally end speculation over his future.
After it emerged that James was not on parity with some of the club's other top stars, there were fears that Chelsea could lose the right-back, who has gone from strength to strength under the guidance of Thomas Tuchel.
Real Madrid are believed to be just one of the clubs who have taken a keen interest in James, who was influential both defensively and offensively last term. But his long-term future is now all but secured, with the Blues academy graduate set to follow in the footsteps of highly-rated striker Armando Broja, who committed his future to the club on Friday by penning a new six-year contract.
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Chelsea are aiming to tie down a host of homegrown stars after splashing out over £260million in the summer transfer window to bolster Tuchel's depleted squad.
And Mount is the next player Boehly is aiming to lock down on fresh terms. The 22-year-old has less than two years to run on his current deal and is already being courted by a host of high-profile suitors, including Liverpool and Manchester United.
The attacking midfielder is expected to be offered a deal that will reflect his status as a key member of the Blues squad after becoming one of Tuchel's most reliable performers.
Chelsea have made sorting new deals a priority after being stung by the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen earlier this summer. The defensive duo quit the club to join Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively after they were allowed to run their deals down by the previous Stamford Bridge regime.
