Reece James return date revealed, as Blues told to pay £100m to secure top midfielder deal
Finally some good news is here!
According to The Athletic report, Chelsea defender Reece James will return to full fitness for the first tie of the Champions League Round of 16 clash against Lille on February 22.
In fact, the 22-year-old could even be back in contention by the time the FIFA Club World Cup begins in February.
The England international is doing rehabilitation work at the club’s Cobham base and has not gone on holiday during the Premier League’s winter break.
He wants to return to team training with Chelsea in two weeks’ time.
The wing-back picked up a hamstring injury in the Brighton game on December 29.
Earlier in January, The Telegraph reported that James’ recovery would take up to two months. Now it looks like he’ll be back earlier than that.
Blues told to pay £100m to secure top midfielder deal
Latest reports claims that Chelsea and Manchester United have been told that Declan Rice will cost over £100 million to sign from the Hammers.
Chelsea are regarded as one of the best teams in Europe right now but have been struggling to maintain their quality on the pitch, with reports suggesting that the squad are mentally and physically tired.
That has once again led to many reports in the media that the Blues may be open to adding some new players to the squad this transfer window, and that has led to reports Declan Rice is on the agenda.
After leaving Chelsea after failing to establish himself, Rice has developed into one of the very best midfielders in the Premier League, and is one main reason why the Hammers are so high up in the League.
However, reports on the Daily Mail have claimed that if the likes of Chelsea and United want to secure a transfer deal for Rice, then they will have to pay £100 million to secure a deal
The Hammers don’t want to lose their star man and are hoping that a high price tag will deter potential suitors
It comes after former Chelsea star Florent Malouda claimed that Rice would be an interesting signing for the club, he was quoted: ‘I think Chelsea have already started preparing for next season with the new contract of Thiago Silva, looking to keep [Antonio] Rudiger, and thinking about replacements for players that might leave,’ the ex-Chelsea and France winger said.
‘Every top team need to strengthen and look at the market to try and become the best team.
‘I don’t think there’s too many players who will improve Chelsea right now, so they should wait for players like [Erling] Haaland and [Kylian] Mbappe…those players are the type of players who will improve them.
‘I think Declan Rice could be interesting, not just because he was there before, but he’s a young player who has the experience of delivering for his club and national team so he could be a good option for Chelsea. He delivered at Euro 2020 and has continued that form with West Ham.