Chelsea have reportedly received an enquiry from Fiorentina over the signing of Cesare Casadei.
The 21-year-old spent the first half of the 2023-24 term on loan at Leicester City, who were gunning for promotion straight back to the Premier League.
Despite coming from a top Premier League side, Casadei was unable to cement a regular place in the midfield at the King Power Stadium under Enzo Maresca.
A preferred trio of Wilfred Ndidi, Harry Winks and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was a dominant force for the Foxes as they cantered to the Championship crown.
Casadei featured in 22 second-tier matches for Leicester, with only eight of those being starts, before returning to Chelsea in January for the remainder of the term.
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Chelsea's Casadei off to Italy?
According to transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano, there could be a transfer storm brewing for the services of Chelsea man Casadei this summer.
The report states that Serie A outfit Fiorentina have made contact with Maresca's side over a possible switch for the 21-year-old from England to Italy.
It is understood that Chelsea are yet to decide whether they want to advance in talks with Fiorentina, and a decision is expected to be made in the coming days.
As well as Viola, it is believed that two or three other clubs are keen on Casadei, whose two-year stay at Stamford Bridge could be approaching its end.
It was reported earlier this week that Fiorentina's Serie A rivals Napoli were in pursuit of the Italian midfielder, however they are yet to make a formal bid.
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Does Casadei have a future at Chelsea?
With former Leicester boss Maresca now in charge at Stamford Bridge, you might think that Casadei's chances of first-team action have increased this summer.
However, with the midfielder struggling to nail down a place for the former Manchester City coach in a Championship side, it is hard to see how Casadei features heavily in the Premier League this term.
Additionally, the Blues have already strengthened their engine room this summer, with Foxes academy graduate Dewsbury-Hall joining Maresca at the club for £30m.
Conor Gallagher, Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo are just a handful of names who are ahead of Casadei in the pecking order, meaning that a permanent move to Italy could be the best thing for his blossoming career.
Carter White
