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Chelsea midfielder Cesare Casadei will finalize a loan move to EFL Championship club Reading in the next 48 hours, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
Casadei joined Chelsea from Serie A giants Inter Milan for a sum of £13.1 million last summer. However, he has not made a single senior appearance for the London giants so far.
The central midfielder spent the first half of the 2022-23 season with the Blues' youth ranks. Graham Potter's side did so to get the player acclimatized to the club, according to Simon Johnson of The Athletic.
Johnson claimed that the Premier League giants had always planned to send Casadei out on loan in January. It has now emerged that the player is on the verge of joining a Championship club on a temporary deal.
Casadei is set to join English second-tier club Reading on loan until the end of the season, according to multiple sources. Romano has claimed that the transfer will be finalized in the next 48 hours. He wrote on Twitter:
"Cesare Casadei will leave Chelsea in the next 48h in order to join Reading on loan, deal almost done — final details to be sorted soon."
Reading, though, will not have an option to make Casadei's loan move permanent at the end of the season. The journalist added:
"Loan deal ready and of course it won’t include any buy option clause."
Casadei will now be hopeful of getting a significant amount of first-team experience under his belt. He will also be determined to push Reading further up the Championship table.
The Royals, who are managed by former Liverpool and Manchester United player Paul Ince, currently sit 14th in the table. They have 37 points to their name, having won 11, drawn four and lost 13 of their 28 matches so far.
Chelsea are in pursuit of a midfielder
While Casadei is on his way out, Chelsea are looking to sign a midfielder themselves. They have been heavily linked with moves for several midfielders, including Benfica's Enzo Fernandez during the ongoing winter transfer window.
The Stamford Bridge outfit have also been credited with an interest in signing Moises Caicedo from Brighton & Hove Albion. However, they face competition from Premier League table-toppers Arsenal for his signature.
Potter's side previously had a £55 million bid rejected by Brighton for the Ecuador international. Arsenal approached the Seagulls with an improved offer of £60 million, but were given the same response.
