Denzel Dumfries, Tino Livramento, Tariq Lamptey - which one of the three, if any, will join Graham Potter's Chelsea revolution?
The Blues opted against signing a natural James back-up in the summer as Todd Boehly decided to renew Cesar Azpilicueta's contract amid strong Barcelona interest.
Azpilicueta has struggled in the early parts of 2022/23 and that decision to keep the Spaniard, despite his leadership quality, isn't showing its fruits on the pitch anymore as the player who has won it all is starting to suffer the same fate Branislav Ivanovic had during his latter days in a Blues jersey.
Marc Cucurella seems to have sorted out the left-back question in the long-term with the former Getafe player set to compete for that spot with other option Ben Chilwell. Currently, both players have been rotated or fitted into the same team under the previous boss Thomas Tuchel.
READ MORE: Rafael Leao £134million Chelsea transfer revived as AC Milan legend keeps the door open
At right-back though, a long-term Azpilicueta heir needs to be sought out and one Serie A star was of interest to Boehly and the Clearlake Capital board over the most recent summer transfer window.
Denzel Dumfries, 26, was one of the main targets in that sense as Chelsea saw multiple bids and counter offers rejected. Internazionale wanted £35 million-plus for their first-choice starter whilst the Blues wanted to try and include the Romelu Lukaku loan as leverage in negotiations.
This didn't work and eventually, despite interest from Manchester United as well as Chelsea, Inter kept hold of their man and despite his clear interest in the Premier League, he has given his full commitment to Simone Inzaghi's project as the blue side of the city look to topple rivals and current Serie A champions AC Milan.
"The interest flatters me, of course. But my focus now is only on Inter. We want to win the Scudetto because we lost it last season," he said while away with the Netherlands during the current international break.
If Potter opts not to reignite previous interest in Inter's No. 2, the likes of previous Chelsea stars Livramento and Lamptey could be targeted as Boehly would be keen to right the wrongs of the previous ownerships' decisions if the new manager and his recruitment team were to eye either of the former Cobham graduates.
Chelsea fans - who would you like to be seen brought in as cover and competition for Reece James- Denzel Dumfries, Tino Livramento or Tariq Lamptey and why? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
READ NEXT:
Chelsea handed major boost as AC Milan suffer multiple injuries amid Champions League clash
Christian Pulisic drops major Chelsea transfer hint amid Gabriel Slonina message
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang drops subtle Arsenal hint with 'bad' memory after Chelsea transfer
Todd Boehly makes another Chelsea change that could impact N'Golo Kante after Eden Hazard joy
Chelsea news and transfers LIVE: All the latest news, rumours and gossip from Stamford Bridge
