Napoli set to make shock bid to sign Cesare Casadei

Series A giants Napoli are the favourites to sign Chelsea midfielder Cesare Casadei. If the report from Gianluca Di Marzio is to be believed, Napoli are set to table an opening bid. Napoli manager Antonio Conte is very much keen on having Casadei in the line-up as the club is eyeing a Series A title this season. They have a three-point lead in the standings at the moment, and the Italian manager is looking to build on a strong first half by strengthening the squad in January 2025. For the same reason, the 21-year-old Casadei is one of the targets. 

For the uninitiated, Casadei has been with Chelsea since 2022 but hasn’t played much for the club. He spent the second half of the 2022-23 season on loan at Reading and the first half of 2023-24 season at Leciester City. Casadei, who is a graduate from Inter Milan, has failed to make it to the playing XI of Chelsea on many occasions.

He has made only six appearances this season playing a role of defensive midfielder. Meanwhile, Chelsea are also aware of Napoli’s interest in Casadei who is also keen to return to Italy in a bid to get more time in the middle. Reportedly, before Napoli, even Torino approached the Blues with a 15 million Euros offer for the young footballer which was rejected by Chelsea. Napoli are enjoying decent success this season in Serie A with 14 wins in 19 matches so far. Their Premier League signings Romelu Lukaku, Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour have done well for them. The addition of Casadei to the mix will only improve their performance on the field.

How are Chelsea performing this season in the Premier League?

Chelsea were in the hunt for the top position until last month and were really playing well. However, their last four matches in the Premier League have not gone to plan. They have not won a single game in the tournament after beating Brentford 2-1 on December 16. Since then, they have lost to Ipswich Town and Fulham and have drawn with Everton and Crystal Palace.

They are currently in fourth place with 36 points after 20 matches with 10 wins, six draws, and four losses.