Chelsea to ramp up efforts to land Celtic star following Reece James injury

Chelsea are set to accelerate Josip Juranovic interest amidst Reece James’ injury

According to Daily Mail, Chelsea are set to revisit their interest in talented Croatian right-back Josip Juranovic in the aftermath of the latest injury that Reece James has suffered.

James, who returned to footballing action in the game against Bournemouth did not last more than 60 minutes as he suffered yet another injury to the same knee that would see him miss action for another month.

It’s a harsh blow for a player who was willing to risk it and travel to the World Cup with England. In hindsight, it does look like Gareth Southgate made the good decision by not risking the player.

Josip Juranović's first-half by numbers vs Brazil:

89.29% passing accuracy
38 touches
5 ball recoveries
2 crosses attempted
2 final third entries
2/2 duels won
1/1 tackle made
1 chance created

Solid.#FIFAWorldCup | #HRV pic.twitter.com/YDkbOx9BUi

— Squawka (@Squawka) December 9, 2022

As talented as Reece James is, he is injured far too many times to be our only option in that position going into the rest of the season. With the January transfer window just around the corner, it makes sense to look at options.

One player who as emerged as a likely target for quite some time now is Josip Juranovic. The Croatian right-back had a fantastic World Cup where he caught the eye of many teams with his performances.

Juranovic might have the attacking prowess that James does but he is very good going forward and equally good in defence. He is a very all-rounded full-back who can be of great use to the Blues.

With the kind of World Cup that he had, Celtic are likely to demand a substantial transfer fee for Juranovic. It remains to be seen how the Blues convince the Scottish club to sell him.

James will be back in one month and should undoubtedly continue being our first choice in that position if and when fit. However, Juranovic is more than capable to hold his own in that position until the Englishman returns.

More Chelsea News

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• David Moyes warns Chelsea that getting Declan Rice is going “to be a big fight”
• Chelsea eyeing loan deal for Atletico Madrid outcast Joao Felix

With the Blues now set to accelerate the interest in Juranovic, this transfer story might heat up really soon. Let’s see how it goes.