Reece James has praised a Chelsea transfer target’s attacking threat.

The defender is currently recovering from an injury that forced him out of World Cup action for England, despite his outstanding form at club level for Chelsea.

When doing a Q&A on Twitter, he was asked which players were the hardest he had come up against in his career. James responded: “Vinicius Jr, [Rafael] Leao and [Sadio] Mane!”

Leao was linked with the Blues in the summer and the club had a verbal proposal rejected by AC Milan. The 23-year-old is on the back of his best season to date; a Serie A champion and 14th-placed Ballon d’Or finish. He was also named Serie A Most Valuable Player and Serie A Footballer of the Year.

Leao netted 14 goals and 12 assists in all competitions last season and is already looking to go further this year, as he is already on seven goals and nine assists.

He has introduced himself on the world’s biggest stage too, having netted a crucial World Cup goal to help secure Portugal’s qualification.

It’s likely many clubs will be in the race for the forward this summer – Chelsea included.

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