Chelsea have hit their stride this summer in the transfer market after new co-owner Todd Boehly has seen fit to push the club in its attempt to get back on track in the Premier League after finishing well behind both Manchester City and Liverpool last season, with the signings of Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly signalling their intent in 2022-23.
But the Blues, despite the existence of the Cobham academy pipeline as one of the premier youth production factories in Europe in recent seasons, have also taken a look toward the future this summer and look set to continue that trend with reported interest in Inter Milan’s 19-year-old Italian youth international Cesare Casadei.
Per reports from transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea are pushing to work with Milan to secure a deal for Casadei this summer despite the Serie A giants’ intention to keep him for the upcoming season under Simone Inzaghi.
Casadei has been prolific at youth level for Inter during his rise through the academy ranks, and to date has bagged 40 goals in just 105 appearances across all academy levels.
In quotes via The Sun, Italian national team coach Maurizio Viscidi, Casadei is rated by Viscidi as being even more effective in the attacking third than both Nicolò Barella and Davide Frattesi.
“He has been with us since he was fifteen. We’ve watched him grow. He’s a modern midfielder, because out of all the youth team midfielders he’s been the one with the greatest aptitude for attacking runs and goalscoring.”
“He attacks the area penalty area better than anyone else we’ve seen, better than Frattesi or Barella. And he’s also strong in the air, something that’s unusual among younger players.”
Should Chelsea eventually wear Inter down in their stance for Casadei and strike amenable terms for the 19-year-old Ravenna native, he would join England starlet Carney Chukwuemeka and highly-rated United Stated goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina as summer additions at Stamford Bridge.
Slonina, just 18, was signed from MLS outfit Chicago Fire and already loaned back to continue to receive valuable minutes at a credible first-team level.
Chukwuemeka has yet to finalize his move to the Blues, but his impending £20m move from Aston Villa would see the Blues potentially have a long-term central pair that could define the club for years to come should both the English and Italian talents develop as expected.
