Reece James contract: Chelsea to open talks over new long-term deal amid Man City and Real Madrid interest

Chelsea are keen to extend Reece James’ contract and talks are expected to take place within the next few weeks, i can reveal.

James, 22, is currently tied to the west London club until 2025, in a five-and-a-half-year deal signed in January 2020, but new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is said to be a huge admirer of the full-back and wants to secure his long-term future at the club.

James earns around £80,000 per week at Chelsea but since agreeing his current terms as a teenager has become one of the leading young full-backs in the world.

He is already a Champions League winner and his performances have so far pushed him ahead of Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold in Gareth Southgate’s pecking order to replace Kyle Walker in the England team.

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One source with knowledge of the situation told i that negotiations are due to commence soon for a deal that would tie him to the club until his late 20s. James’s status at Chelsea, amongst fans and club staff, is enhanced by his progression through the academy. He first started training with the club when he was only six years old.

Though he has plenty of time remaining on his contract, James is said to be keen to discuss fresh terms and his team have been preparing for talks. Manchester City and Real Madrid are both believed to have been monitoring his situation.

As i revealed in May, the club are also hoping to tie Mason Mount to a new long-term contract on wages more reflective of his growing reputation in the game. The 23-year-old currently earns around £80,000 per week and his deal runs until 2024.

As academy graduates both Mount and James are seen as an important part of Chelsea’s future by Boehly, who, alongside his role as chairman, is currently acting as interim sporting director following the departure of Marina Granovskaia, a close aide of former owner Roman Abramovich.

All contract talks were put on ice when Chelsea were placed under a special licence to operate by the government earlier this year due to sanctions imposed on Abramovich for his links to Russian president Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.

The uncertainty meant they lost first-team players, including defender Antonio Rudiger to Real Madrid, who had come to the end of their contracts.

Since taking over, American billionaire Boehly is overseeing the reshaping of manager Thomas Tuchel’s squad with the ambition of competing with Manchester City and Liverpool for the Premier League title next season. They are close to securing the signing of Manchester City and England winger Raheem Sterling, for around £45m.

The futures of James and Mount have been made a priority as they assemble a squad capable of challenging on multiple fronts. Mount has spoken of his excitement at being part of a new era at the club following the takeover.

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Reports suggest Chelsea have been offered Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Paris Saint-Germain’s Neymar, although both players would come with plenty of baggage that Tuchel may not want.

Striker Armando Broja, 20, impressed on loan at Southampton last season and is attracting interest from several Premier League clubs. He wants regular first-team football and Chelsea are weighing up what to do with a player who has four years remaining on his contract.

Allowing unsettled Romelu Lukaku, a £97.5m signing last summer, to join Inter Milan on loan has left them depleted in attack.

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