Real Madrid line up shock Chelsea transfer plan amid injury struggle

Real Madrid appear to have once again revived their interest in Chelsea captain Reece James, with reports claiming that a transfer plan has been devised.

It comes as the 24-year-old is set for a huge season with the Blues in the hope of returning to some of his best form for the club. James impressed when making his way through the Cobham academy ranks, enjoying a loan spell with Wigan Athletic before a first-team opportunity appeared.

The right-back took it with both hands and seemingly won himself the shirt for many years to come with his impressive performances. The last season or so has been tough for James though, with injury problems starting to mount and his availability becoming a real issue.

The England international missed a huge chunk of last season, where the west London outfit slumped to a Premier League low of 12th place. There were many hopes that with a near-full pre-season at his disposal this time around, the full-back would have put such worries behind him.

That hasn't been the case though, as after the first game of the campaign against Liverpool, James picked up a hamstring injury in training. It means the new club captain is set to miss a spell of games with some time on the sidelines required to return to full fitness.

Chelsea news and transfers LIVE: Kudus 'agreement', Cherki incentive, £14m deal, Barcola boost

With the addition ofMalo Gusto, Axel Disasi and Moises Caicedo, there are options available to Mauricio Pochettino in being able to play a right-back. However, in the long-term, there may be more thought over James' availability and how much of an impact that has over the team.

That's where a move from Real comes in as the Mirror claims that the La Liga outfit have revived their interest in