Antonio Conte wants to bring Cesare Casadei back to Serie A with Napoli. To do so, he is preparing a transfer bid to present to Chelsea this month.
Antonio Conte needs absolutely no introduction to Chelsea fans. He is infamous around Stamford Bridge and while his career choice after leaving Chelsea might be questionable, there's no denying that he was a successful manager at the Bridge.
Now, though, the Italian coach is the manager of Napoli. It won't come as a surprise to Blues fans to hear that Napoli are top of the Serie A table, with Conte hoping to add another Scudetto to his personal cabinet.
However, Conte is not satisfied. He wants to bring in some additions this month and to do so, he has a keen eye on Chelsea.
Antonio Conte prepares transfer bid for out-of-favour Chelsea midfielder
According to a report from Fabrizio Romano on X (formerly Twitter), Antonio Conte wants to sign Cesare Casadei for Napoli. So, the Italian giants are preparing their official bid, which will be presented to Chelsea.
Napoli would like to sign Casadei permanently, not on loan. From Chelsea's perspective, they would like to include a sell-on clause, which is not news considering they have vocalised this to other interested parties.
In his own words, Romano said: "Napoli are preparing their official bid to Chelsea for Cesare Casadei. It will be for permanent transfer with Chelsea also requesting for sell-on clause as they did with Feyenoord, Torino and two English clubs. Antonio Conte, keen on bringing Casadei back to Italy."
Casadei is one of those players who played with Enzo Maresca at Leicester in the Championship last season. It is the same case for the Italian as it is for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in that Maresca cannot justify playing Casadei at Chelsea, in the same way he did at Leicester.
Therefore, a move away from the Bridge might be what's best for Casadei. After all, the competition for places is rife in the midfield, so it might be best for all parties to be realistic about their expectations and whether they can be met going forward.
For Casadei, playing in Naples presents an incredible opportunity for him. Within his first six months, he could get on his hands on the Serie A title. He would also be playing under one of the best managers of all-time, no less.