Todd Boehly has not been afraid of making big calls since his arrival at Chelsea, and another tough transfer decision may loom for the American.
The Blues parted ways with academy graduate Conor Gallagher over the summer whilst they also pushed to offload Trevoh Chalobah on a permanent basis, who went on to join Crystal Palace on loan.
New signings have taken centre stage at Stamford Bridge over the past few seasons, and Chelsea may have to weigh up whether they want to raise eyebrows once again with the sale of their club captain Reece James.
The right-back is currently ruled out with a hamstring problem which he sustained during pre-season, in what is one of several injuries which has hindered the progress of the England international over the past few seasons.
James has not featured regularly since the 2021/22 campaign, and a decision may need to be made by Chelsea as to whether they should continue to retain the faith in the 24-year-old or cash in on him before injuries truly derail his career.
According to HITC, Real Madrid remain interested in acquiring the services of James and are long-term admirers of the defender.
Los Blancos are keen to shake up their defensive ranks over the next 12 months and reinforcements are being eyed in both fullback positions, with Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies identified as their top left-back target.
With Dani Carvajal, 32, not getting any younger, a younger option in right-back is also desired by Carlo Ancelotti’s side. Madrid have shortlisted James as an option, though he must ‘prove his fitness’ before ruling if he is their top target.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is also admired by Los Blancos, having been linked with a move away from Liverpool over the summer. The versatile defender has proven he is one of the best creative players in Europe over the years, and his performances have not gone unnoticed.
Alexander-Arnold is out of contract at Anfield at the end of the season, and Madrid are likely to be monitoring his situation closely given their knack for signing top players as free agents, such as Kylian Mbappe.
The Santiago Bernabeu outfit will therefore be hoping that Liverpool fail to convince their academy graduate to put pen to paper on a new deal on Merseyside so that they can step up their approach, which could see their interest in Chelsea’s James diminish.