Chelsea ‘close’ to confirming January deal

Chelsea are reportedly close to reaching an agreement to send Cesare Casadei on loan to AC Milan for the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign.

The Italy U21 international moved to Stamford Bridge from Inter Milan back in 2022, but he has only made a total of 16 first-team appearances for the Blues and he has struggled for game time so far this season.

Casadei has racked up just 334 minutes of action across all competitions this term and he has only been selected in two of Chelsea’s 14 Premier League matchday squads under Enzo Maresca.

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Real Betis and Villarreal are among the clubs who have been linked with a move for the 21-year-old during the January transfer window, but he is now close to joining Milan on loan, according to Fichajes.

The Serie A giants are seen as the frontrunners in the race to land Casadei and a deal could reportedly be finalised within the next few days.

Although Casadei is set to leave Chelsea on loan in January, the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge see him as a key part of their future, and it’s believed that a short stint back in Italy could aid his development tenfold.

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What has Cesare Casadei said?

Casadei was heavily linked with a Chelsea departure this summer, but he opted to remain in west London following a conversation with the aforementioned Maresca.

“Last season was not very easy for me,” Casadei revealed in October. “So at the start of the season I was thinking about what the best solution was for me.

“But after I spoke to the manager, I was 100 percent sure the decision to stay would be best for me, my career and my improvement.

“There were some possible loans but I spoke to the manager and he told me what he thinks and I had no doubts from that moment.

“I always wanted to play for Chelsea, one of the biggest teams in the world, so I could not be more proud to play for Chelsea and this is my goal, to play for this team. So I had no doubts.”