Chelsea have reportedly made a new contract for Reece James a priority for whoever succeeds Roman Abramovich as the owner of the club. Real Madrid have been linked with a move for the wing-back in the future and the Blues will be eager to keep hold of one of their most exciting prospects.
James has been one of Thomas Tuchel's most effective players this season, both in defence and attack. With six goals and five assists in the Premier League, he is one of Chelsea's most productive attacking threats. Sadly for the west Londoners, however, his brilliance has not escaped the attentions of fellow European giants.
Antonio Rudiger is expected to swap blue for white this summer, with Real Madrid set to sign the centre-back on a free transfer when his contract expires. Andreas Christensen is also set to depart as a free agent and despite James still having three years to run on his contract, it is a trend Marina Granovskaia and the rest of the Chelsea board are clearly eager to stop.
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Tuchel expressed his love for the 22-year-old ahead of their midweek clash with Manchester United: "I would love to have two of Reece James, that would solve the problem, it’s like 50% towards wing-back and 45% towards the back three.
"It [where he plays] depends a little bit on how the opponent plays against us. Do we expect a lot of possession, how is their structure for their offensive transition."
A report from Goal earlier this week revealed that Real Madrid will attempt to sign James, although it is one they will likely leave until the summer of 2023 with Kylian Mbappe and Aurelien Tchouameni their top priorities. But Chelsea are now set to try and scupper those plans in the coming weeks.
A new deal for James has been made a top priority for the club, regardless of who takes over as owner, according to a report from 90min. After seeing Rudiger and Christensen run their contracts down, it is understandable why they have chosen to act now.
