Chelsea were linked with a move for Moroccan midfielder Reda Belahyane in the winter transfer window.
The player joined Lazio from Hellas Verona on deadline day as the Blues never came forward to make an offer for the player, with some claims in Italy stating the Chelsea links were all about an agent trying to hype the player.
Interest from Chelsea was disregarded quite early on by the local press in Italy but Hellas Verona management advisor Maurizio Setti has now spoken about how things worked for the 20-year-old during the transfer window. Setti recently sold the club but claims to still be running various aspects including negotiations.
In a chat with LaLazio, Setti insisted that talks took place with Chelsea.
He said: “Chelsea wanted to sign him and we talked about it a lot, but they wanted a ready player, in the end they didn’t consider him as such, worse for them, at this point better for Lazio.”
The Italian also stated that there was also interest from two clubs in France but Lazio were most convinced about the Morocco international’s skillset.
“But there were also Marseille and Rennes, plus other important Italian teams that had appeared before. Lotito was the most convinced and fastest [in making a move happen].
“We both made a deal, Verona and Lazio, you’ll see that you’ll thank me, he’ll become an idol at Lazio and make the fans fall in love.”
Cesare Casadei has departed Stamford Bridge to join Torino and his impending move was one of the stated reasons for the links in the first place.
The youngster had been a regular for Hellas Verona in the first half of the season, playing 22 times in Serie A. The mystery around Chelsea interest continues, and there’ll still be doubts despite these latest claims.
