Chelsea consider shock move for Celtic star as Reece James replacement

Chelsea were dealt yet another injury blow on Tuesday as Reece James limped off during their 2-0 win over Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge. 

The Blues are already without a number of first team stars including N’Golo Kante, Ben Chilwell and Wesley Fofana, and James himself was making his return from a long spell on the sidelines.

In the Englishman’s absence, manager Graham Potter will likely have to resort to starting club captain Cesar Azpilicueta at right-back, although it appears that The Blues have already started looking for targets to act as cover for James.

According to Sky Sports, Chelsea are considering making an offer for Celtic’s Josip Juranovic.

The report claims that the Croatia international is one name that was mentioned during internal talks at the club to discuss targets.

The 27-year-old impressed at the World Cup in Qatar, and has been linked with a number of other clubs, including Barcelona, in recent weeks.

James’ injury is set to keep him out of action for at least a month and, considering his injury record over the past few years, The Blues may well move for a new right-back next month.

Juranovic helped Croatia to reach the semi-finals in Qatar

Juranovic joined the Scottish champions from Legia Warsaw last year, and has since made 50 appearances for the club.

He has played 15 times across all competitions this term, and played every minute of Croatia’s run to the semi-finals of the World Cup, but didn’t feature in the third place play-off.

The Croatian defender is contracted to his current club until 2026, though, which could make Chelsea’s pursuit of him quite tricky.

James, meanwhile, has become one of Chelsea’s most important players over the past few seasons.

The England international, who missed the World Cup due to injury, has more than 30 combined goals and assists for the club in 135 matches.

His influence on Potter’s team was clear to see when he limped off on Tuesday, though, as The Cherries began to take control soon after and Chelsea had goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga to thank for keeping their lead in tact.