Chelsea are ready to sanction the departure of their 24-year-old academy graduate Reece James for £60 million in the summer.
According to a report by The Times, Chelsea are ready to sanction the departure of their skipper Reece James in order to balance their books and avoid any sanctions for breaching the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules.
Chelsea’s financial crisis
The Blues have spent over £1 billion on player transfers, coaches and support staff since the Clearlake Capital-led takeover in 2022. Unfortunately, those investments haven’t given them the kind of results they were expecting and it has put them in a bit of a financial mess.
Chelsea are in danger of joining Everton and Nottingham Forest who have been handed a points deduction for breaching the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules. And, in order to avoid any sanctions, the Blues are ready to sanction the departure of homegrown players as they will be registered as direct profit and will help them balance their books.
The London club wants to generate over £100 million in revenue before the end of June to avoid a situation where they surpass the league’s £105 million limit on allowable losses over three years. And, in order to do so, they are ready to part ways with Reece James who was made the skipper of the club last summer.
Chelsea to sell their skipper Reece James
James came up the ranks at some pace and he has been an integral part of their first team for a while. But, he has struggled with injuries of late and has only featured in nine matches this term.
He has become a bit of an injury-prone player, and they are considering sanctioning his exit to ease the financial pressure. The 24-year-old’s contract with the Blues runs until the summer of 2028.
With years left on his deal, the London club have set an asking price of £60 million for their defensive star. The England international might have been struggling with injuries in the recent past but he can surely bounce back as he is still quite young. As a result, it will be interesting to see which club ends up investing in him.
