According to French daily L’Equipe, Chelsea are very close to completing the transfer of Monaco defender Benoit Badiashile in January.
The London giants opened talks with Monaco for the central defender last week and L’Equipe confirm that they have made an opening offer of £31 million. The proposal remains short of Monaco’s £35.5 million price tag, but it is reported that Chelsea are very close to sealing a deal.
Meanwhile, the report says Manchester United are still in the picture for the France international but Barcelona are only considering a summer move for the defender.
Potential
Chelsea bolstered their backline in the summer with the purchases of Kalidou Koulibaly, Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella. All three of them have played in central defence this season but there is plenty of room for improvement with their defensive performances.
Badiashile would be a fantastic signing for Chelsea with his strong aerial and physical presence. The Frenchman also likes to make crunch tackles as well as regular clearances. At 21, he has the peak years of his career in front of him and could turn out as a bargain buy.
With a minor difference of £4.5 million in valuation, it may not be long before Chelsea meet Monaco’s demands. The deal could be holding up as Chelsea are aiming to pay the transfer fee in staggered payments such that they can get some leeway with Financial Fair Play.
The capital outfit have already confirmed the signing of Molde striker David Datro Fofana and a deal for Vasco da Gama’s Andrey Santos is close to completion. Badiashile could be the next high-profile purchase but the club’s main priority seems to be Benfica’s Enzo Fernandez.
Chelsea are prepared to break their transfer record to sign the Argentine with a £106 million release clause. Instead of paying the whole fee up front, they are looking for a long-term transfer agreement and could be prepared to pay a higher sum to convince Benfica over a January deal.
