Chelsea have knocked back a £10m bid from Brighton for their 19-year-old right-back Reece James, according to the Sun.
James has been a revelation in the Championship this season during a loan spell with struggling Wigan Athletic, featuring in all of their league games this season.
The England U20 international has been tipped to become part of Chelsea’s first-team squad next season to provide support to first-choice right-back Cesar Azpilicueta.
And it is perhaps due to that forward planning that Chelsea have decided to reject an offer for James from Brighton after he was identified as a target by their Technical Director, Dan Ashworth.
James has also reportedly caught the attention of Crystal Palace who could be in the market for a right-back in the summer with Aaron Wan-Bissaka having been linked to top-six clubs including Manchester United and Spurs.
Chelsea have come in for criticism in recent years for failing to give academy prospects sufficient chances to impress in the first-team, despite their outstanding success at youth level both domestically and in Europe.
Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have both been part of Maurizio Sarri’s squad this term but have had to wait patiently for first-team chances having only recently established themselves in the side.
Hudson-Odoi, 18, played with James at youth level and has been linked with a move away when the transfer window re-opens with Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Manchester United all reportedly monitoring him.
Brighton, meanwhile, face a fight to secure their Premier League status although they boosted their chances of staying up after drawing 0-0 with Wolves on Saturday.
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