da 888casino： Chelsea right-back Reece James won't be joining Barcelona in the next transfer window despite the rumours of a summer exit, according to an update from journalist Fabrizio Romano.
How important is James to Chelsea?
da betway： The Englishman has already matured into a vital player for the Blues, despite still only being 23 years of age, with few players in Europe arguably better than him in his position. Granted, he has had a stop-start season because of injuries, but there is no denying that he is an invaluable part of the team moving forward.
James has been limited to just 14 starts in the Premier League in 2022/23 to date, and this lack of availability has no doubt played a part in Chelsea's well-documented struggles throughout the campaign. He has actually been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge recently, with Barcelona reportedly set to make an attempt to sign him this summer.
The £250,000-a-week defender's current Blues deal runs until the summer of 2028, however, so only a huge amount of money would give another club any chance of prising him away.
Could James leave this summer?
Taking to Twitter, Romano completely shrugged off the claim, saying that James won't be moving away from Chelsea once the summer window arrives:
"There’s nothing between Barcelona and Reece James despite recent rumours as English fullback is considered a crucial player at Chelsea. James signed new long term deal last year. Barça won’t go for Reece in the summer and he’s untouchable."
Frankly, James is one of the most valuable assets Chelsea have currently, and the idea of him leaving any time soon doesn't bear thinking about. He has been hailed as "amazing" by Ian Wright in the past, not to mention the "best right-back in the country" by Robbie Savage, and the hope is that he remains a Blues player for the rest of his career.
Selling him would make no sense whatsoever, at a time when a new manager will hopefully take the west Londoners to fresh new heights after a disappointing season, and there is no reason why his game can't reach new levels moving forward, with his best years still potentially ahead of him.
The fact that Barca have supposedly shown an interest in signing James is a testament to what a special talent he is, and Chelsea's focus now has to be on helping him improve his fitness record and ensuring he is a rampaging figure down the right flank for another decade or so.