Chelsea transfer practically sealed as 'clubs line up' to strike deal with Enzo Maresca

Part of Chelsea’s January remit will involve finding game time for those starved of minutes under Enzo Maresca.

Cesare Casadei falls into that category, having only played in the UEFA Conference League and Carabao Cup this season despite enjoying regular football at Leicester City last campaign. Thankfully for the Blues, finding a destination for the 21-year-old is unlikely to be an arduous task, and his loan exit seems almost certain.

A host of Serie A sides are reportedly lining up to sign Casadei in January. The Italian U21 international spent four years in Inter Milan’s academy but he has never played a minute of senior football in his homeland.

Casadei’s stellar reputation from his time in Inter’s youth ranks means he retains plenty of Italian admirers. And reports indicate that no fewer than seven clubs have expressed an interest in taking him on for the remainder of the season.

Lazio, AC Milan, Como, Genoa, Fiorentina and Torino are all believed to be in the running, while Monza are said to be in advanced talks with Chelsea. Maresca is set to put his head together with senior figures at Stamford Bridge to determine where would be best for Casadei’s development.

Chelsea are already well-stocked with talent in the middle of the park. Healthy competition between Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and Enzo Fernandez has put Maresca in an enviable position, although others have been left to feed off scraps.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – a £30million summer signing from Leicester – has only played 56 minutes in the Premier League this term, while Casadei and Carney Chukwuemeka have not seen any action aside from cup games.

All three could seek out first-team opportunities in January. Maresca already has sufficient depth to field two entirely different line-ups, with the likes of Cole Palmer and Wesley Fofana left out of his European squad entirely in an effort to manage workload.

Ben Chilwell and Deivid Washington could also be offloaded this January after finding themselves on the fringes, and Christopher Nkunku is said to be unsettled by his back-up role behind Nicolas Jackson.

Competition will only increase at the end of the season, when Chelsea prepare to welcome two prodigious teenagers. Estevao Willian and Kendry Paez – both 17 – are still pulling up trees in South America and they could make a push to go straight into Maresca’s starting XI in 2025/26.