According to The Athletic, Manchester City are interested in signing Chelsea defender Reece James, after he impressed in the Champions League final.
What’s the story?
Well, The Athletic believe Pep Guardiola is a massive fan of the 21-year-old, who heroically kept Raheem Sterling quiet in the Champions League final.
James also impressed in Chelsea’s 2-1 win at the Etihad Stadium in May, another display which apparently caught Guardiola’s eye.
The Spaniard is also intrigued by the 7-cap England international’s ability to play in midfield as well as at right-back.
James has four years left on his contract at Stamford Bridge, and the Blues are not looking to sell their academy graduate.
Thomas Tuchel appears to rate the £100,000-a-week defender highly, handing him 29 appearances after replacing Frank Lampard.
Can Manchester City sign all of their targets?
The Athletic add that Manchester City also want Harry Kane and Jack Grealish, and claim it will be difficult to sign James as well.
In our view, the Citizens don’t really need the Chelsea wonderkid, who Gary Lineker called sensational after he netted a screamer against Brighton.
Guardiola already has Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo at his disposal.
In that respect, it’s very strange to see him target another right-back.
Additionally, Chelsea were never going to hand James over easily.
It just feels like an unrealistic target for the Premier League champions to pursue.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
