Los Blancos have moved early to establish their interest in Chelsea’s right-back Reece James. The club is hoping to add the Englishman to their list of Galacticos next year, having already committed the upcoming summer window to the capture of Paris Sain-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe.
The LaLiga leaders are among the clubs interested in signing Chelsea right-back Reece James – as per Goal. The 22-year-old has made the right wing-back role his own under Thomas Tuchel, with the German even claiming recently that he would’ve loved to have two versions of the youngster available to him, given his adaptability at the right centerback position.
Interest from top European clubs is to be expected, with Los Blancos among those who have approached the Blues intending to sign him in the future. As per the report, Real are hoping to land James in the 2023 summer transfer window, when he would have two years remaining on his Chelsea contract that he signed in 2020 upon returning from his extremely successful loan spell at Wigan Athletic.
It would take an incredible effort to prise James away from his boyhood club, especially with the hierarchy, and the manager, viewing him as one of the key members of this team. However, Real Madrid, and any other interested parties, could exploit the fact that James is among the lowest earners in the squad despite his importance to it. As per the report, those keen have even inquired about the possibility of the player running down his contract, but to no avail so far.
As for Real Madrid, their need for a right-back becomes more apparent each season. Despite holding down the position since 2013, Dani Carvajal is in his 30s, while his only alternative, at present, is winger-turned-fullback Lucas Vazquez.
The 13-time European Champions did spend big on Alvaro Odriozola from Real Sociedad, but, unable to displace Carvajal from the team, the youngster was loaned out to Bayern Munich and later ACF Fiorentina.
The club also brought in Vinicius Tobias from Shakhtar Donetsk this January but has left him with the reserve team with a view toward promoting him in the future.
