Chelsea have been urged to sign Croatian international Josip Juranovic by Glen Johnson who believes the Blues need a backup for first-choice right-back Reece James.
James missed out on the World Cup with the England international suffering a long-term knee injury just before the Qatar tournament, which sidelined him for over two months.
The Blues head coach Graham Potter has been in the transfer market for new signings to reinforce his injury-stricken backline ahead of the January window where the manager could be looking to add more strength in depth to the defensive ranks.
Juranovic, who plays for Scottish giants Celtic, was one of the standout performers for the semi-finalists Croatia and the 27-year-old defender’s showings at the World Cup could be his ticket to a high-profile transfer with Europe’s big clubs interested.
Speaking to Midnite, former Chelsea man Johnson said that Graham Potter’s side should be in the fray to sign Juranovic despite James being close to his return from injury as Juranovic would provide suitable cover in the right-back role.
“Juranovic would be a great signing for Chelsea. He looks very quick and very efficient going forward, he had a great tournament for Croatia and has performed well at Celtic.
“James’ injury is not that bad for Juranovic to replace him. Juranovic would be a great backup to James, and coming from Celtic, he won’t be a £80 million player, it will be a simple deal. But I can’t see him replacing James.”
