Chelsea suffer blow in £43m bid to replace Reece James in January

Chelsea have suffered a blow in their quest to replace Reece James with summer target Denzel Dumfries reportedly not available for transfer. Blues star James could be out for several months after suffering a knee injury earlier this month. James is likely to miss the World Cup and a crunch period in Chelsea’s Premier League season. Head coach Graham Potter has been tipped to seek an alternative to the wing-back in the January transfer window. Chelsea targeted Inter Milan ace Dumfries in the summer but failed to act on their interest. It was not believed that the Stamford Bridge outfit made a bid, with them instead prioritising deals for centre-backs and forwards under former boss Thomas Tuchel. A pursuit of Dumfries could now be prompted, especially with James believed to be absent for a while. However, Inter are reportedly unwilling to sell any of their key players at least until the end of the season. JUST IN: Chelsea can build unstoppable new midfield but it may cost Boehly Chelsea could replace the injured Reece James in the January transfer window (Image: GETTY IMAGES)Italian football expert Gianluca di Marzio told Wettfreunde: “He (Dumfries) is doing a good job at Inter. They don’t want to sell Dumfries, but you know the economic situation of Inter is particular because the club is having economic problems, and so I think every player at Inter could be sold.”But at this moment, the owner of Inter and Simone Inzaghi and the managers, they decided not to touch the most important players until the end of the season – Dumfries, [Milan] Skriniar. They will try to keep the most important players until the end of the season.”Chelsea could therefore need to look elsewhere for a James replacement. Co-owner Todd Boehly is expected to get the cheque book out again in January despite spending heavily during the summer transfer window – his first since his takeover last May. DON’T MISS…Chelsea have answer to Kai Havertz conundrum as German finds formChelsea boss Graham Potter told to sign striker to challenge for titleRio Ferdinand and Peter Crouch disagree with Sneijder on Edson Alvarez Chelsea targeted Denzel Dumfries in the summer transfer window (Image: GETTY IMAGES)