Chelsea ‘ask’ for £51m to ‘close signing’ despite Todd Boehly ‘expecting huge fan backlash’
Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly is reportedly ready to negotiate the sale of England international Reece James, who is being linked with Real Madrid.
The Premier League giants are struggling with Financial Fair Play after investing over £1bn since Todd Boehly’s consortium completed its takeover of Chelsea in 2022. It was recently claimed that a points deduction is “coming” this year for Profit and Sustainability breaches.
Chelsea to sanction sales
To ease their troubles, Chelsea are expected to sanction a couple of high-profile sales in the summer, with it being reported that England pair James and Conor Gallagher could be offloaded.
On his day, James is one of the best right-backs in the world but he has been severely impacted by injuries in recent seasons. So far this term, he has only made eight Premier League appearances and is likely to miss the remainder of this campaign with a hamstring injury.
In recent years, Real Madrid have consistently been mooted as a possible destination for James and they are also understood to have their eye on Liverpool standout Trent Alexander-Arnold.
As recently as last summer, Chelsea were unwilling to let James leave but his injury record appears to have altered their stance and he would be a valuable pure profit sale.
A report from Spanish outlet Nacional claims Chelsea have ‘asked’ Real Madrid to pay £51m to ‘close the signing’ of James as they are ‘now willing to negotiate the sale’.
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Unfortunately for Chelsea, Nacional are of the understanding that their request has been rebuffed by Real Madrid as they have ‘completely ruled out the idea of trying to sign the England international’.
The report notes that Chelsea are in the market for a new full-back but James’ injury record is putting them off and they ‘won’t be making a stratospheric investment’.
Boehly ‘expects huge backlash’
Chelsea are said to be aware that the potential sale of James would cause a stir at Stamford Bridge. Football Insider are reporting club chiefs ‘expect huge fan backlash against the Boehly regime if their club captain is sold’. The report explains.
‘It is believed the Blues are well aware selling the 24-year-old will not go down well with the fanbase – despite his inability to stay fit.
‘Football Insider revealed on Tuesday (2 April) that midfielder Conor Gallagher is “definitely” leaving Chelsea and will lead a trio of high-profile home-grown exits in the off-season. It is believed Armando Broja and Trevoh Chalobah are also set to be sold.
‘Gallagher will have just 12 months left on his contract in June and is no closer to renewing his deal at Stamford Bridge following a recent halt in talks.
‘However, the sale of James could represent the final straw for Chelsea fans who are unhappy with the running of their club following Todd Boehly’s takeover in 2022.’
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