Florentino Perez is interested in FOUR Chelsea players including Reece James
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez could look to bolster his squad by raiding Premier League strugglers Chelsea in the summer transfer window.
Chelsea host Real Madrid in the second-leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash on Tuesday with the Blues trailing 2-0 after their 10-man showing at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Madrid have previously sniped some of Chelsea’s talent before when they broke the bank to spend an initial £88million for Eden Hazard in 2019 and tempting Antonio Rudiger to the club in the summer after the defender let his contract run down.
The Champions League holders are ready to make a fresh bid for Reece James in the summer but are also rumoured to be interested in three other Premier League stars, according to Spanish news outlet Fichajes.
Perez is supposedly interested in also bringing Mason Mount, Ruben Loftus Cheek, and former Madrid man Mateo Kovacic to the club at the end of the season.
Chelsea are looking at offsetting some of their talents at the end of the season as American co-owner Todd Boehly looks to balance the books after a heavy debut year of spending.
Boehly recently fumed at underperforming players in the Chelsea dressing room after their capitulation in a weekend 1-2 defeat to European hopefuls Brighton.
Mount looks set to leave his boyhood cub at the end of the season after rejecting a contract to stay but is also reportedly wanted by Liverpool.
Meanwhile midfielder Loftus Cheek signed a new long-term contract in 2019 that will keep him at Chelsea until at least 2024, however his lack of regular minutes could see him seek a move elsewhere.
It is reported that both players are viewed as rotational players by Perez and wouldn’t command a regular starting spot in Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
Kovacic left Madrid to join Chelsea in 2018 but could return to his former side to fill the midfield gap left by Luka Modric if the Croatian retires at the end of the season.
However, Madrid appeared well-stocked in midfield with Eduardo Camavinga starring at the heart of Madrid’s engine-room and Toni Kroos still a vital asset.
Aurélien Tchouaméni is another midfielder for the future but could be set for a move to Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool as the Premier League giants target a summer rebuild.
Any clear-out at Chelsea would likely have to be approved by the new incoming manager once it is decided who will replace Graham Potter in the role on a permanent basis.
Frank Lampard is overseeing duties until the end of the season but former Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmaan has been heavily linked with filling the vacancy.
