Chelsea reject £25m bid from Crystal Palace for young defender

Chelsea have reportedly rejected a £25m bid from Crystal Palace for the services of young right-back Reece James.

The 19-year-old has yet to make his senior debut for the Blues but he has caught the attention of several Premier League sides following his loan stint at Wigan Athletic, where he made 45 appearances.

According to The Independent, the Eagles are understood to have made a £25m offer to land the signature of James but the offer has been swiftly rebuffed by the Blues.

It is added that the west London giants have no plans of parting ways with the defender this summer as they are under a transfer ban until the summer of 2020.

Roy Hodgson's side are aiming to recruit a new right-sided defender this summer after sanctioning the sale of Aaron Wan-Bissaka to Manchester United for £50m.

Atalanta defender Timothy Castagne has been identified as an alternative to James but they need to act soon with the Premier League transfer window closing on Thursday.