Real Madrid will not succeed in pursuing Reece James in the summer, with the Englishman set to remain at Chelsea.
Fabrizio Romano has told Caught Offside that Reece James will not leave Chelsea in the summer transfer window. The English international is a target for Real Madrid. And the reputed Italian journalist has suggested that Los Blancos’ focus is on Jude Bellingham, while the Blues trust James.
Romano said, “As we already know,Reece James signed a new deal with Chelsea in September. He remains one of the English faces of Chelsea’s project and they trust him. Although there has been rumoured interest from Real Madrid, at this stage I expect him to stay with the Blues because Real Madrid’s focus is on different targets such as Jude Bellingham.”
Reece James has established himself as one of the best full-backs in the world since breaking into the Chelsea first team. The English international has not looked back following his breakthrough in the 2019/20 campaign. And his market value has zoomed to €70 million during this period.
At the same time, the 23-year-old has become a regular for the English national side. But James has endured a frustrating 2022/23 season due to persistent fitness issues. However, that has not affected the player’s stature in the game, with Real Madrid still keen on signing him.
Real Madrid must delve into the market for a long-term right-back solution. That is because Dani Carvajal’s performance levels have waned following a few injuries. In addition, Lucas Vazquez has blown hot and cold this season, while Alvaro Odriozola is not in Carlo Ancelotti’s plans.
James has thus emerged as a viable target for Real Madrid. And with the English international being more well-rounded than most right-backs, he is a solid candidate to bolster the squad. But Chelsea will likely demand much more than his market value of €70 million to sell him. In addition, the Blues trust the youngster and do not want to part ways with him.
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Fabrizio Romano has also iterated that Real Madrid will focus on signing Jude Bellingham. So even if James is on the agenda, he will become an option once the Merengues are done with signing their top targets. So a summer move will unlikely see the light of day.
