Reece James close to signing new Chelsea contract

Chelsea are close to finalising a new contract for right-back Reece James, 90min understands.

90min revealed earlier this month that the Blues are looking to tie down both James and fellow academy graduate Mason Mount to bumper new contracts, with new owner Todd Boehly seeing the pair as two of the cornerstones of Chelsea's future.

Sources have confirmed that James' new deal is further ahead as it stands and Chelsea are now putting the finishing touches on a deal which could be worth up to £250,000 per week.

A five-year contract is on the table, with the agreement also including an option for an additional 12 months.

Discussions with Mount are believed to be making good progress as well, with the midfielder likely to secure similar terms to James.

Chelsea wanted to offer both James and Mount long-term deals even before Boehly joined the club, with those in charge in the previous regime well aware that the pair deserved lengthy extensions and sizeable pay rises as rewards for their emergence as international stars.

Scott Saunders, Graeme Bailey, Toby Cudworth and Harry Symeou bring you a live deadline day edition of Talking Transfers. The team welcome Daniel Childs and Julien Laurens to the show to discuss Chelsea's late window activity, Arsenal's pursuit of Douglas Luiz, Paris Saint-Germain's summer signings & much more! The show is also available on all audio platforms.

Boehly wasted little time in confirming he shares that belief and made contact with the two players during the summer transfer window to discuss his plans, with everyone involved eventually making the decision to delay talks until after the summer transfer window.

Chelsea were confident that talks with both James and Mount would lead to positive resolutions with very little effort and the two players agreed to postpone negotiations to allow Boehly to focus on transfer dealings during the summer.

With the window now closed and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Denis Zakaria now Chelsea players, the focus is back on James and Mount and new contracts are on the horizon for both.