Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has two world-class right-backs in his squad but as per The Athletic, Guardiola still wants to sign Reece James from Chelsea.
The report had claimed: “Manchester City have added Chelsea’s England right-back Reece James to their wishlist of players they would like to sign.
“Sources have told The Athletic that City manager Pep Guardiola is a huge admirer of the 21-year-old and that his Premier League champions are interested in buying him.”
This came a bit of surprise to many but since Chelsea have been chasing Achraf Hakimi some experts hinted that Reece James could be up for sale this summer.
But according to talkSPORT, the Stamford Bridge outfit have no intentions of cashing in on the 21-year-old, despite their transfer plans.
The exclusive report says: “Chelsea have told Manchester City that Reece James is not for sale and will remain an integral part of their first-team plans, talkSPORT understands.
“The reigning Premier League champions have kept close tabs on James for some time, as per the Athletic, while City are also expected to bid for fellow England stars Harry Kane and Jack Grealish this summer.
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“But the Blues will not entertain any offers for their talented academy graduate.”
Chelsea have been chasing Achraf Hakimi very diligently but the Inter Milan man is on his way to PSG so it’s even more important that the Blues do not sell Reece James.
Yes, James has been a standout performer for Tuchel’s team last season but Man City have two very apt right-backs in the form of Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo.
So it makes no sense why Guardiola will want to sign a player who is valued at £36 million(as per TransferMarkt) and still has four years left on his contract.
With Tuchel playing a 3-4-1-2 system, James has been playing as the right full-back for Chelsea and maybe Guardiola is planning to experiment with a similar formation at Man City next season which is why he wants to sign a proper wing-back.
During the 2020-21 season, Reece James played in 32 Premier League games, scoring one and assisting two goals. But his standout performance came in the Champions League final against Manchester City.
