Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel wants his club to acquire three more players before the summer transfer window ends. It appears the first will be delivered soon enough. According to various reports, the west London club have reached agreement on a deal for 19-year-old midfielder Cesare Casadei from Inter Milan.
The Ravenna, Italy native should be officially official by some point this week, after he goes through all the protocols, steps and formalities, including a Cobham medical, which could take place on Thursday.
According to Sky Italy, the agreement is worth £12.6m (€15m) plus £4.2m (€5m) in add-ons.
Not a bad price for a youngster who is considered one of the best emerging talents, with a very high potential upside, in Europe at his position.
Cesare Casadei, who has yet to make an appearance for the senior team at Inter, will fly to England on Wednesday. So what about the two other signings? Well, Chelsea are still in talks with Barcelona over center forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, while the Wesley Fofana transfer saga with Leicester City continues to rumble on. Leicester maintain that Fofana is not for sale, at any price.
They same could be said for Everton and Anthony Gordon. Stamford Bridge reportedly had their first bid, some reports say was £40m, others claim £45m, rejected. Chelsea are understood to be going back with an improved offer, as a test of Everton’s resolve.
This one could run all the way until deadline day; ditto for Fofana. And of course, Frenkie de Jong, if that total mess at Barca sorts itself, and he’s open to move, Chelsea are in.
You have to admire Chelsea’s ambition this summer transfer window, but they could find themselves having to resort to 11th hour deals.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast, part of Edge of the Crowd Network. Follow him and the website on Twitter and Instagram.
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