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According to French website Foot Mercato, Chelsea have already made a January offer to sign Monaco defender Benoit Badiashile.
Respected journalist David Ornstein recently revealed that Chelsea are working on signing a left centre-back and talks are underway with Monaco for Badiashile.
Foot Mercato now report that the Blues have made a formal £35 million bid to sign the 21-year-old but they could face competition from Manchester United, who have followed him for several years.
Huge potential
Badiashile is currently in his fifth season with Monaco where he has already made 135 appearances. The youngster has developed impressively at such a young age and there are no surprises that Chelsea are interested in signing him next month.
The London giants spent a good sum of money on signing youngsters such as Gabriel Slonina, Carney Chukwuemeka and Cesare Casadei last summer and they have continued the trend with the recent purchase of Molde striker David Datro Fofana.
Badiashile is the next youngster on their radar and he has huge potential him. The 21-year-old is not a tough tackler but has grabbed attention with his strong concentration and ability to win aerial duels. He has a dominating physical presence too.
He has also been effective with his overall passing. Chelsea could convince him to join them this winter with the guarantee of regular first-team football. Badiashile is left-foot dominant and could cement his place on the left side of the back three under manager Graham Potter.
This could be a major advantage for Chelsea over United, who may not provide him with regular starts from the beginning. Erik ten Hag’s side could use him as part of the rotation and his playing time could be limited as they play with a traditional back four.
Chelsea are currently going through a difficult season in the Premier League where they are placed ninth. However, the future could be very bright for them with the owners prepared to spend on quality young talents that could develop into world-beaters.
