Chelsea have identified Hellas Verona’s Reda Belahyane as their candidate to replace Cesare Casadei.
That’s at least what Gianluca Di Marzio is reporting, and he claims the Blues are ‘pushing hard’ to sign Belahyane.
Enzo Maresca has left Casadei out of his core plans at Chelsea this season as he failed to make an appearance in the league.
The 22-year-old Italian had to settle for minutes in the UEFA Conference League and the EFL Cup and wants to leave the Blues in search of regular game time.
On Wednesday, Italy U21 coach Carmine Nunziata hinted the Chelsea player could return to his country in the winter market. There’s been claims stating both Torino and Lazio are keen on securing his services.
The west London club have identified Belahyane as the ‘chosen one’ to replace the former Inter Milan academy graduate in this window, and it’s stated they’ve been pushing hard in the ‘last few hours’.
Di Mazio states that as soon as Casadei leaves the Premier League side, they will move to sign the 20-year-old Morocco international. He adds the deal should cost Maresca’s side around €15m, without specifying whether that’s including bonuses.
