Chelsea to offer Reece James in exchange for Real Madrid superstar

Cameron Smith

• 7 Apr 2024 18:00 BST
• 3 min read

Chelsea are willing to sell Reece James to Real Madrid in order to sign Aurelien Tchouameni, according to sensational reports in Spain.

James, 24, has made just nine appearances so far this season - due to injuries - and he has recently been linked with a Chelsea exit, despite the fact he was named club captain by Mauricio Pochettino last summer.

FootballTransfers understands that James is extremely unlikely to leave Chelsea in 2023, despite transfer interest from Paris Saint-Germain, with the Englishman currently settled in west London.

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However, the Cobham academy graduate is evidently admired by top clubs across Europe and Fichajes have reported that Chelsea are willing to offload him in return for Tchouameni.

The Real Madrid midfielder was a key transfer target for the Blues back in 2021, but they decided against signing the Frenchman and instead brought in Saul Niguez on loan. One year later, Tchouameni moved to the Spanish capital after AS Monaco accepted Los Blancos’ €80 million bid.

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Chelsea want Aurelien Tchouameni

Having missed out on Tchouameni three years ago, Chelsea are reportedly keen to rectify their mistake by signing him in 2024.

The 24-year-old’s contract at the Santiago Bernabeu doesn’t expire until 2028 and 19 of his 24 La Liga appearances this campaign have been as a starter, which suggests that Real Madrid are unlikely to entertain offers for the France international.

Despite their previous interest in James and recent links with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Real Madrid are reportedly set to ignore the right-back position for another year, with Daniel Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez trusted until 2025 at least.

They are, however, keen to bolster their options at left-back and are pursuing Bayern Munich superstar Alphonso Davies as an upgrade on Ferland Mendy, who has failed to push on since his move from Olympique Lyonnais.

As a result, a swap deal between James and Tchouameni is likely to be a pipe dream as things stand.