Reece James reportedly has no interest in leaving Chelsea for Manchester City or Real Madrid for the foreseeable future.
Aside from a productive loan spell in the Championship with Wigan Athletic, James has spent his entire career - both youth and professional - representing Chelsea.
Despite his injury issues, the 23-year-old has still managed to make 153 appearances in all competitions, scoring 11 goals and providing 21 assists.
The latest of the latter came on Sunday as Chelsea played out a thrilling 4-4 draw with Manchester City, with James making his third start in succession in all competitions after a hamstring injury.
James and Chelsea will each be hopeful that he can enjoy more game time during 2023-24 after an injury-hit period, but spells on the sidelines have not led to interest dwindling in his services.
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Real Madrid, who will eventually require at least one fresh face at right-back to replace the likes of Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez, are long-term admirers of James.
Furthermore, a recent report has indicated that Man City are monitoring the situation, with Kyle Walker turning 34 years of age at the end of 2023-24.
Nevertheless, according to 90min, James is not prepared to consider an exit from Chelsea, remaining fully committed to the current project.
His last contract renewal came in September 2022, extending his stay with the West Londoners until 2028, and he seemingly wants to go deep into that deal.
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Such is James's status at Chelsea that head coach Mauricio Pochettino handed him the club captaincy when he arrived at the club in the summer.
The report adds that James has no desire to move to a Premier League rival of Chelsea, such as was the case with some of his former teammates in the summer once it became apparent that they did not have a future as Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital instigated a change in direction.
Providing that James can prove his fitness in the short and long term, he is likely to be regarded as an indispensable asset by the co-owners and Pochettino.
Having been advised to remain away from international duty with England for the November fixtures, James will hope to feature when Chelsea face Newcastle United on November 25.
Darren Plant
