A Chelsea outcast is reportedly set for an ‘inevitable divorce’ from Enzo Maresca’s team, amid links with Italian giants AC Milan.
Since the consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital completed a £2.5bn (€2.98bn, $3.15bn) takeover of Chelsea in 2022, the club has splashed the cash in the transfer market like never before.
The Blues have spent over £1.3bn (€1.55bn, $1.64bn) on players since then, with varying degrees of success. One such player that was signed for a more modest fee was Cesare Casadei.
The midfielder swapped Inter Milan for Chelsea in August 2022 for a fee worth up to €20m (£16.7m, $21.1m) but since then he has made just 15 appearances, none of which have been starts in the Premier League.
TEAMtalk revealed this summer that the Stamford Bridge side were open to offering the Italian and then-striker Romelu Lukaku to Napoli as part of a swap deal for Victor Osimhen.
Months on from that not happening, MilanLive claims AC Milan have ‘set their sights’ on Casadei, although it is not yet known if he would be allowed to leave on loan or permanently.
They add that the 6ft 1in player is heading towards an ‘inevitable divorce’ with Chelsea in 2025.
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One potential snag
However, the player himself does not seem to be in a rush to leave Chelsea any time soon – with his contract running until 2028.
Earlier this month, Casadei said: “I really like him [Maresca]. He likes to play with the ball, and he has different ideas from all the rest of the managers.
“He has his own ideas, and I think this is very important for us because he can drive us in the right direction. He is very clear, he has been clear from the moment he came here, and everyone understood him from the first day.
“It’s a big opportunity. This year, we have so many games and I think everyone has been involved so far, and everyone will be involved. So everyone has to be ready for the opportunity and the Conference League is a very good competition, so I’m sure we can do very well.”
And in October, Maresca praised the former Leicester City loanee, who spent part of last season under the Italian at the Foxes during their Championship title run.
“Cesare played very good against Barrow and played even better against Gent. I’m very happy with the way he’s playing. I had Cesare last year [on loan at Leicester] and he was playing in a different position. This year we are using him like a holding midfielder,” he said.
“On the ball, he is improving a lot, he played one-touch most of the time so we are very happy. It’s the same for the rest, there are many things he can do better, but the good thing is he is going in the right direction.”
Chelsea eye rising Premier League star
TEAMtalk revealed that Chelsea are considering a move for Bournemouth centre-back Illia Zabarnyi, but it won’t be easy signing the 22-year-old.
The Cherries are understood to be reluctant to sell the Ukraine international and Tottenham and Manchester City are also keeping tabs on him.
Elsewhere, Chelsea are reportedly ‘leading the race’ for Bayer Leverkusen star Jonathan Tah – who is also wanted by Bayern Munich.
The 28-year-old – who is also on Spurs’ radar – will be out of contract next summer, with the big defender able to open pre-contract talks in January over a possible move.
Finally, the Blues are said to be ‘plotting a summer raid’ for Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, who is desperate to be a first-team regular.
Casadei’s turbulent Chelsea timeline
– August 19, 2022: After multiple bids, Chelsea complete an initial €15m deal to buy Casadei from Inter, where he was yet to make his senior debut.
– August 31, 2022: Casadei makes his debut for Chelsea’s U21s in the EFL Trophy, but receives a red card.
– September 4, 2022: Casadei scores on his Premier League 2 debut.
– January 30, 2023: Five months after his arrival, Chelsea send Casadei on loan to Reading in the Championship.
– February 4, 2023: Casadei makes his professional debut for Reading.
– May 4, 2023: Reading’s relegation to League One is confirmed ahead of Casadei returning to Chelsea.
– August 15, 2023: Casadei goes out on loan again, this time to Leicester in the Championship.
– January 19, 2024: To Maresca’s surprise, Chelsea re-call Casadei from his loan at Leicester.
– January 31, 2024: Casadei comes on as a substitute to make his senior Chelsea and Premier League debut.
– September 2, 2024: After failing to feature in pre-season at all and missing out on a summer exit from Chelsea, Casadei changes his agent.
