Club make bid to sign £380k-p/y Chelsea ace who wants Stamford Bridge exit

A club have now made a fresh approach to sign a member of Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea squad this January, with the player himself reportedly keen on a move away from Stamford Bridge before the window shuts.

Chelsea’s January plans

Like they have been in previous windows, Chelsea are expected to be busy this winter, with the club looking to turn around their Premier League form.

After an excellent start to the campaign, the Blues are now without a win in their last four games, having drawn two of those, and their grip on a spot in the top four is weakening.

Much of that has come down to an injury to Wesley Fofana, who Maresca suggested could be out for the remainder of the season, something which could prompt them to sign another centre-back in the weeks ahead.

“Probably with Wes and Benoit injuries, we will see if something is going to happen [in the transfer market]”, Maresca explained after the draw with Crystal Palace, in which Josh Acheampong deputised in the heart of defence.

There is also expected to be significant movement away from the Blues, with Ben Chilwell likely to depart either on loan or permanently after failing to feature in the Premier League across the first half of the campaign.

Carney Chukwuemeka is another player likely to leave, although more likely on loan, while the BBC also report that “Harvey Vale is set to leave the club on a permanent deal” and Alex Matos could also depart.

Now, a fifth player could be on the move, with a bid having already been tabled.

Chelsea receive offer to sell midfielder

That comes according to a report from Gianluca di Marzio, who claims that Torino have tabled a bid to sign Cesare Casadei from Chelsea this winter. The midfielder, who Maresca hailed as “very good” after one performance earlier in the campaign, has struggled for game time at Stamford Bridge.

As a result, he has been the subject of plenty of speculation in Italy, with clubs positioning themselves to offer him a return to his homeland as soon as January.

According to Di Marzio, Torino are the side most hotly pursuing his signature at present, with the two sides locked in negotiations. The Turin side have so far only offered €12m plus “a percentage of future resale”, and Chelsea have replied, asking for €20m to let the Italian leave alongside a favourable buy-back clause.

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They’re “ready to compete” for his signature.

For his part, Casadei has given “priority” to Torino and has already agreed to the move, looking to seal a Stamford Bridge exit. It is added that “new contacts between the parties [clubs] are expected between Tuesday and Wednesday”, with hope that they can meet in the middle over the Italian.

Casadei’s £390,000-per-year deal at Stamford Bridge still has almost four years left to run, but a move away from Stamford Bridge could be just what he needs to reignite his career, while Chelsea could stand to profit on the talent they signed from Inter two years ago for an initial £12.6m.