Chelsea midfielder Cesare Casadei allegedly has interest in his signature from one of Serie A's top clubs.
The 21-year-old has been provided with 424 minutes across six appearances in cup competitions this campaign, five of which have come in the Conference League.
However, even with Romeo Lavia sidelined through injury, the Italy Under-21 international has not been provided with any Premier League opportunities, a clear indication of his place in the pecking order under Enzo Maresca.
Earlier this month, it was claimed that Torino were the clear frontrunners for his signature, providing that a fee could be negotiated with their Chelsea counterparts.
According to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, that has now changed with a higher-profile team having registered an interest.
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Napoli make Casadei move
The report suggests that Napoli have overtaken their fellow Serie A sides in the race for Casadei's signature as they bid to strengthen their midfield.
Napoli's efforts to sign Casadei are seemingly boosted by the presence of Cristian Stellini - the assistant coach - on Antonio Conte's backroom staff, someone who Casadei knows from his days at Inter Milan.
Although Napoli do not have European football on their schedule for the second half of 2024-25, there is seemingly a desire to add a central midfielder with potential to their ranks.
From Casadei's perspective, he is keen to return to Italy and a switch to the current Serie A leaders is viewed as more favourable than moving to Torino.
With the report highlighting that Chelsea and Napoli hold a strong relationship through past deals involving Kalidou Koulibaly and Romelu Lukaku, there is expectation that a fee will eventually be agreed.
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What are Chelsea demanding for Casadei?
Earlier this week, it was reported that Chelsea were ready to demand £20m for Casadei. In 2022, the West Londoners committed to a €15m (£12.44m) with €5m (£4.15m) potentially coming in add-ons.
While Torino had been offering less than that valuation, it remains to be seen whether Napoli will be prepared to meet Chelsea's asking price.
Napoli will be knowledgeable of the fact that Chelsea need to raise funds as soon as possible to sign another experienced centre-back.
That said, club officials may not want to risk straining any working relationship when Chelsea could emerge as a plausible option when they want to recoup their asking price for Victor Osimhen later in 2025.
Darren Plant
