James has been linked with a move away from Chelsea in the summer
Reece James has been linked with a move away from Chelsea in the summer (Getty Images)

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 captained Chelsea to an FA Youth Cup success last season
James captained Chelsea to an FA Youth Cup success last season (Getty Images)

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.