‘That is wild’ – Chelsea warned they face unthinkable transfer exit this summer

Chelsea are facing the very real prospect of losing captain Reece James this summer.

Fans were reminded of that frightening prospect for Blues fans was said on our Inside Chelsea show, which has laid bare the possibility of James leaving the club after 19 years.

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The 26-year-old is enjoying one of his best seasons in a Blues shirt after years of injury problems.

James has starred at right-back and in midfield, reminding everyone he is one of the Premier League‘s best players.

He is also the most popular man among the Chelsea faithful and they would deem the chances of him leaving as almost unthinkable.

But so was the prospect of Trent Alexander-Arnold leaving Liverpool – and the Blues are facing an ominously similar set of circumstances.

While Chelsea have most of their big-money superstars tied down to long contracts, James only has 18 months remaining on his current deal, meaning he will enter the final year in July.

It leaves Chelsea vulnerable to a situation where a player of considerable value leaves for free.

Ex-Blues defender Jason Cundy insists the club’s owners BlueCo would never allow that to happen under their current model.

Cundy fears unthinkable James transfer

He told Inside Chelsea: “Watch this space. He will be one of the highest-paid players at the club. They need to do something about that.

“We need to keep Reece James. We need to somehow find a way to get him to sign a new contract.

“Look at what Trent did at Liverpool. If James gets into the last year of his contract, you can’t allow that. He could leave for nothing.

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“Marc Guehi is worth three times what Man City just paid for him.”

‘That is wild’

Cundy, who works as a broadcaster for Chelsea alongside his co-host role on our Sports Bar, then dropped some insider knowledge on the club’s current player trading strategy.

He said: “One thing I understand from the new owners when they came in… is that they were astonished we let Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen – worth more than £100m between them – walk on a free. They could not get their heads around that.

“I will be stunned and amazed if they allow Reece to have so much power without signing a new contract.

“It’s a fear. It’s a big concern. A football career is not long. Players want to know where they’re going.

“If Reece decides this project is not for him now, unfortunately, the club may well have to sell him in the summer. I don’t want to scaremonger or anything…

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“My understanding is they won’t allow what Trent did to Liverpool and what Rudiger did to Chelsea.”

The show’s host, Chelsea fan Olivia Buzaglo, was left stunned as she replied: “That is wild.”