Chelsea are pushing to complete a deal for Inter Milan midfielder Cesare Casadei this week as they ready an improved third offer, according to reports.
The 19-year-old has received interest from Chelsea and Ligue 1 outfit OGC Nice, but Thomas Tuchel’s side are confident of winning the race for the teenager.
Casadei has already been the subject of two bids from Chelsea but both have been turned down by the Italian side as they hold out for a higher transfer fee for the highly-rated midfielder.
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Chelsea have already invested in their youth and future this summer with the signings of Gabriel Slonina from Chicago Fire and Carney Chukwuemeka from Aston Villa.
Now they are targeting more young talent, with a big bid for Anthony Gordon being rejected over the weekend
Signings are being pushed for this week - Gordon, Wesley Fofana and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are all on the list, and now Casadei has joined it.
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As reported by Jacob Steinberg, the Blues are close to winning the race for the Italian, and could make an offer as high as £12 million to convince Inter of parting ways with the 19-year-old.
The report states that it is unclear whether Casadei would go into Tuchel’s squad for the 2022/23 season or if he would depart immediately on loan to continue his development.
Chelsea are looking for midfield stability, both now and in the future, even more so in the current times due to the injuries to N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic.
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Meanwhile, West Ham are hopeful of completing a switch for Chelsea left-back Emerson Palmieri, The Guardian also reports.
Chelsea have made it clear they don't want another loan move as the new owners look to bring in transfer fees.
Talks have been taking place between the clubs over a potential £13 million deal, as reported by Sky Sports, with Jack Rosser claiming an offer has now been lodged to the Blues.
Thomas Tuchel spoke of Chelsea's outgoings last week and said players will be allowed to leave if the price and deal is right for all parties.
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But the 48-year-old insisted that until that point, they aren't for sale.
He admitted: "In general, nobody is for sale. Nobody is for sale, and everybody is for sale.
"It depends on what the player wants, how bad the player wants it, what we think about who is ready to pay a certain amount of money and then maybe everybody is for sale.”
Only time will tell about how many arrive and leave before the window closes, but the business is far from complete for Chelsea.
Topics: Chelsea, West Ham United, Inter Milan, Premier League, Football, Transfers