'Initial offer': Chelsea receive transfer bid as January window springs to life

Chelsea are believed to have received an initial offer from Serie A outfit Torino in a bid to bring midfielder Cesare Casadei to Italy this month.

The 21-year-old is only a fringe player under Enzo Maresca and is expected to leave Stamford Bridge in search of more minutes with the Blues willing to let their academy product go in a bid to free up space in the squad. Casadei has made only six appearances in all competitions so far this season for Chelsea, the majority of which coming in the Europa Conference League.

A report by Gianluca Di Marzio claims that a proactive Torino have now fielded an official offer to Stamford Bridge after weeks of speculation. It is said to be for a permanent deal, rather than a loan, but that Chelsea would hold a buy-back clause to bring the player back to West London in the future.

Lazio rivalling Torino for Chelsea transfer

Serie A rivals Lazio are also named as a potentially interested party in the midfielder, who has spent loan spells at Reading and Leicester City, but that Torino are the frontrunners at this stage. Chelsea paid £16 million to sign the youngster from Inter Milan in 2022 and helped the player progress in the academy before giving him a first team debut in January 2024.

Casadei had been part of the youth set up at Inter Milan for a number of years but never made a first team appearance while with the club. The midfielder has played for the Italy under-21 set up but is yet to receive a full international cap.

There had been talk of a potential summer transfer for the player, who has a total of 17 first team appearances for Chelsea to his name. However, Casadei underwent talks with compatriot Maresca and was determined to stay and fight for his place in the side.

Casadei turned down loan departure in summer

He told the Chelsea website: "It was my decision [to stay at Chelsea for the 2024/25 campaign]. Last season was not very easy for me, so at the start of the season I was thinking about what the best solution was for me. But after I spoke to the manager, I was 100 per cent sure the decision to stay would be best for me, my career and my improvement. There were some possible loans but I spoke to the manager and he told me what he thinks and I had no doubts from that moment.

"I always wanted to play for Chelsea, one of the biggest teams in the world, so I could not be more proud to play for Chelsea and this is my goal, to play for this team. So I had no doubts.

"Sometimes it can be hard [not playing at the weekend] but we are at Chelsea, one of the biggest clubs in the world, so it’s normal there is really high competition. We have a lot of players with a lot of quality, so it’s not always easy to play the game week in, week out.

‘You have to fight for your place, its good competition, and it’s one of the reasons I decided to stay. When there is good competition, it can help you improve and make you a better player. It can be helpful for you."