Chelsea will not listen to any potential offers for their “crucial” defender Reece James despite rumours of Barcelona’s interest, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The rumours of Barcelona’s interest in James likely stemmed from a recent claim made by Jijantes’ Gerard Romero.
“Keep an eye on Reece James. There are people at Barça who get instant emotions,” said the Spanish journalist a few days ago (via Barca Universal).
James is one of the best right-backs in the world at the moment, so it is no surprise that other top clubs are interested in him.
However, Romano insisted that this is a non-story.
“There’s nothing between Barcelona and Reece James despite recent rumours as [the] English fullback is considered a crucial player at Chelsea,” the Italian wrote on Twitter.
“James signed a new long-term deal last year.
“Barça won’t go for Reece in the summer and he’s untouchable.”
As Romano pointed out, James signed a new six-year contract with Chelsea last September which ties him to the club until 2028.
Bear in mind that this deal makes him the highest-paid defender in Chelsea’s history, which suggests how highly the club rate him as a player.
While Chelsea are expected to offload players to trim their squad this summer, James is among those to whom this does not apply.
A recent report from Mundo Deportivo claimed that Barcelona are also interested in Chelsea’s January signing, Malo Gusto, who is currently on loan at Lyon.
This is clearly a more feasible target for the Catalans club, but Chelsea are unlikely to let him go as well considering James’ recent injury problems and Cesar Azpilicueta’s possible exit.
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