Chelsea captain Reece James won’t join Manchester City if he leaves Stamford Bridge in the future, according to TEAMTalk reporter Graeme Bailey.

The journalist quotes a source that suggests that the only team the England international would be prepared to join is Real Madrid:

“He loves Chelsea, they love him, and he wants to lift the Premier League as their captain. In the future, could he be tempted by Real Madrid? That would depend how things go, but don’t rule it out.”

City have been long-term admirers of James, and he has been touted as a potential replacement for Kyle Walker who is now 33 years of age.

James’ injury record would have placed doubt over a transfer anyway

In the unlikely scenario that the fullback was prepared to make the switch to the Etihad Stadium, and Chelsea were willing to let him go, there would still be a question mark over the player’s fitness record.

James has only just returned from a three-month layoff due to a hamstring problem. Since making his debut for the Blues back in 2019, he has spent an enormous 463 days on the sidelines. That is almost 15 months. Being that prone to injury would give any interested club major reservations about going after him.

City already have a perfect replacement for Walker

After James opted against joining up with England, with Chelsea keen to manage his fitness levels, manager Gareth Southgate called up City’s Rico Lewis instead.

The 18-year-old has massive potential and he has already shown that he could be Kyle Walker’s successor at right-back. Any move for James would undoubtedly block the teenager’s path to the first team.

With that being the case, you would hope that City will focus on giving Lewis as much game time as possible.

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