CHELSEA are reportedly planning a summer transfer move for Manchester United starlet Lauren James.
The Daily Mail claims the WSL club are willing to pay a record fee for the forward, whose brother Reece plays for the Blues’ men’s side.
But Emma Hayes’ side may have to fight off stiff competition from French champions Lyon who are also thought to be interested in the 19-year-old..
If the Blues’ rumoured move comes to fruition, it could see James link up with older brother Reece who has already made a name for himself at Stamford Bridge
And it would also see the duo make history as the first brother and sister to play for the same club after already achieving the feat on the national stage for England.
It is claimed the allure of Champions League football could tempt James to a Chelsea switch.
And the striker’s United team, who face Everton next, will miss out on playing in next season’s competition with Arsenal pipping them to third in the WSL.
James has managed 11 starts for Casey Stoney’s side this season, having missed part of the Red Devils’ 2020-21 campaign due to injury.
The striker, who received her first senior England call-up in November 2020, has netted 22 goals in 40 Man United appearances following a 2018 switch from Arsenal.
And the WSL starlet has been touted as a rising star of the women’s game in Europe following her contribution to the Red Devils’ promotion to the top flight in 2019.
Earlier this year James was named in UEFA’s top ten female players to watch list alongside starlets such as Wolfsburg’s Lena Oberdorf, 19, and Vicki Becho, 17, of Lyon.
Off the pitch, the forward has been a leading advocate of football’s calls for social media giants to crack down on racist online trolling.
This year the United ace was on the receiving end of horrific abuse on Instagram.
The striker has been urging bosses of Instagram to take tougher action against accounts posting vile racist messages.
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Trolling of players including James has led to a social media blackout by Premier League, EFL and WSL and Women’s Championship sides across the country.
The virtual protest, which began at 3 pm on April 30 and ends at 11:59 pm tonight, saw teams turn off Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
United chief Stoney has personally called out social media boss Mark Zuckerberg for not doing enough to combat social media abuse when trolls attacked James once again on Instagram.
It is hoped the protest will force online giants to take action against bigoted trolling in future.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
