Leicester City are reportedly keen to sign Chelsea midfielder Cesare Casadei on a season-long loan deal in the summer transfer window.
The Foxes are currently preparing themselves for a promotion push following their relegation from the Premier League last campaign. They have signed Harry Winks and Conor Coady for a combined sum of over £17 million and snapped up Callum Doyle on a loan deal so far.
Now, according to Todofichajes, Leicester have expressed an interest in roping in Casadei on a temporary deal ahead of the start of the 2023-24 season. They have identified him as a cost-free option to fill the void left by James Maddison and Youri Tielemans this summer.
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However, despite their desire to send the Italian out on loan, Chelsea are believed to be unwilling to initiate talks with an EFL Championship side. They are aiming to loan the midfielder to a top-flight team to assess whether he has the ability to fit in their side in the future.
Casadei, 20, has emerged as one of the best midfield talents in the world following his Golden Ball-winning outings at the last FIFA U20 World Cup. He guided Italy to a runners-up finish in Argentina, netting seven goals and providing two assists in seven games in the U20 World Cup.
A right-footed box-to-box operator, Casadei joined Chelsea from Inter Milan in a deal worth up to £16 million last summer. He has played in 13 U21 matches for the west London club so far.
Prior to joining the Stamford Bridge side, Casadei earned a name for himself at the Nerazzurri. He lifted two league titles at youth level, scoring 41 goals and providing eight assists in 105 age-group appearances.
Earlier last season, the Italian tasted his first loan experience in a six-month stint at Reading. He scored one goal in 15 EFL Championship appearances, failing to help the Royals avoid relegation to League One.
Chelsea aim to field new-look midfield soon
Should Chelsea decide to loan out Cesare Casadei this summer, they will be down to just five central midfielders ahead of the next season. Earlier this summer, they released N'Golo Kante and sold Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek to Manchester United, Manchester City and AC Milan for a combined fee of £94 million.
As of now, Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino has Enzo Fernandez, Conor Gallagher, Carney Chukwuemeka, Lewis Hall and Andrey Santos as his midfield choices besides Casadei. Pochettino is reportedly aiming to break the bank to sign Moises Caicedo and is also keeping an eye on Southampton's Romeo Lavia. Lavia is also being tracked by Liverpool and Arsenal, as per reports.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have signed four players so far this summer. They have paid over £96 million to sign Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson, Angelo Gabriel and Diego Moreira ahead of the 2022-23 term.
