Chelsea are confident of securing a significant sell-on clause in the deal that will see midfielder Cesare Casadei move back to Italy.
Lazio, Torino and Fiorentina are all battling for the signature of Casadei, who will cost in the region of £13 million. But Chelsea are also demanding a significant sell-on clause as part of the deal, as the club still believe 22-year-old Casadei could enjoy a successful career.
Casadei moved to Stamford Bridge for an initial £12 million from Inter Milan in August 2022, but the Italian has made just 17 appearances for the club and spent the first half of last season on loan at Leicester City in the Championship.
Having loaned Renato Veiga to Juventus for the remainder of the season, Chelsea are now prepared to let Casadei leave permanently.
Neither Veiga nor Casadei were in Chelsea’s matchday squad for the defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League and the return of Reece James to fitness has eased the burden on their midfielders.
Moises Caicedo had been asked to fill-in at right-back while James was out, but he can operate solely as a midfielder while the England international is available.
With Romeo Lavia out, Chelsea could still assess their midfield options before the closure of the transfer window with sources still not ruling out a move for a number six before next Monday night.
Chelsea’s primary focus remains on their attack, however, with the club still looking at wingers and strikers either for now or for the summer.
Alejandro Garancho remains a player of interest who Chelsea could bid for, but talks over the United winger have slowed down over the weekend.
Bayern Munich forward Mathys Tel, who can play on the wing or through the middle, also remains on Chelsea’s radar.
Aston Villa are interested in Chelsea pair Axel Disasi and Joao Felix, but that has not currently prompted the club to revisit their interest in Jhon Duran.
Chelsea showed an interest in Duran in January last year and last summer, but the current expectation is that the striker will move to Saudi Arabia if he leaves Villa during the final week of the transfer window.
