Chelsea wish to follow up on their move for Aston Villa wonderkid Carney Chukuemeka with the signing of Inter Milan midfielder Cesare Casadei, according to reports.
The Blues agreed a fee with Aston Villa for 18-year-old Chukuemeka, one of the most highly rated young players in world football.
He is set to travel to London to complete his medical and negoatiate personal terms as Chelsea look to the future with several young players.
Advert
Gabriel Slonina, another young star, sealed his move to Chelsea as he joined from Chicago Fire for a fee of £12 million.
The American will remain on loan in the MLS until January, when he will join his new teammates at Chelsea to either leave on another loan or become part of Thomas Tuchel’s squad.
Speaking after joining Chelsea, Slonina said: “Thank you to everyone at the club for making a childhood dream come true and thank you to the fans for an amazing warm welcome. The hard work starts now.
Advert
"Honoured to join such a massive club with so much history. It’s a privilege to wear the badge of the best side in London.
"Thank you to all the fans for the warm welcome. Can’t wait to get started."
The signings of talented youngsters will not stop there for Chelsea though, with the Blues now linked to Inter’s Casadei.
As reported by Nizaar Kinsella of The Evening Standard, Chelsea are hopeful of bringing Casadei tho the club as part of their succession plan in midfield.
Advert
Jorginho and N’Golo Kante are both out of contract next summer, with Chukwuemeka coming in as a midfielder.
The new owners at Chelsea are said to be keen to invest in young players, ready to make another big money move for a midfielder.
While Casadei is yet to make a senior appearance at Inter, he has been extensively scouted by Neil Bath at Chelsea ahead of a move.
Advert
With two bids having already been rejected for the Italian, Todd Boehly is keen to continue investing in the academy and is lining up another bid.
Omari Hutchinson and Eddie Beach have also signed this summer, with Casadei the next in the list which could see the spending on the academy reach over £50 million this summer, with the new owners outlining their intent to improve the club as a whole.
Jorginho and Kante could leave at the end of the season, much like Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen did this summer.
The defensive outgoings saw the Blues struggle as they missed out on various targets and by bringing in the promising youngsters, they could avoid a repeat of their mistakes from the past.
Topics: Chelsea, Chelsea Transfer News & Rumours, Carney Chukwuemeka, Football, Transfers, Inter Milan
Nick Emms