Chelsea reach agreement to sell Cesare Casadei to Torino | OneFootball

Chelsea have verbally agreed a deal to sell midfielder Cesare Casadei to TorinoFabrizio Romano. There are still things to settle, but the Italian youth international should be heading back to his native land this winter window.

In principle, Chelsea will receive €13 million plus a sell-on clause of over 20% for Casadei. A small profit on the €12 million the Blues paid for his services almost two years ago when they signed him from Inter Milan following the arrival of the Todd Boehly and Clearlake consortium.

Per the report, Chelsea are still wary that the deal could collapse. Lazio came close to snapping Casadei up before the talks died. All parties will work towards getting this one over the line after weeks of negotiations.

Casadei arrived at Chelsea without making an appearance for Inter, with fans fearing he would not be ready to make an impact at the club, and they have been proven right.

The 22-year-old showed he is a capable midfielder, impressing during the Under-20 World Cup. Still, he ultimately couldn’t break into the Chelsea first-team.

Even when he managed to get a chance in the Europa Conference League, Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca played him in a deep midfield position, which is not where he thrives. He is an eight that loves to attack the opposition box. Perhaps, in Turin, he can find his feet and begin to strut his stuff.

As for Chelsea, selling Casadei makes sense, but the Blues are light in the engine room with Romeo Lavia injured till March.

The west Londoners should have brought back Lesley Ugochukwu from his loan at Southampton to provide cover in the centre.

The Blues need a physical presence to hold the midfield when Moises Caicedo is injured or cannot perform at the top level. There has been a drop-off in his recent performances, but Maresca has persisted with him due to a lack of options.

Chelsea might (recklessly) try to bring in another number six before the close of the transfer window, but the wiser choice would be to recall the Frenchman.