Chelsea defender French Benoit Badiashile has entered Napoli's circle of interest during the current summer transfer window.
Benoit Badiashile
Club: Chelsea
According to the newspaper "The Sun", Napoli is seeking to sign the French defender following the injury suffered by Alessandro Buongiorno, as the Italian club plans to offer him a three-year contract.
The report indicated that Badiashile welcomes the idea of moving to Napoli ahead of the 2026-2027 season.
The 25-year-old defender played only 16 matches with Chelsea last season, including eight in the Premier League.
Although Chelsea wants to sell the player, the club's financial position may complicate the deal, as Badiashile is tied to a long contract running until the summer of 2030 after signing a seven-and-a-half-year deal upon joining the club.
Chelsea needs to secure at least around £20 million to avoid recording an accounting loss if the player is sold.
The question remains whether Napoli is willing to pay this amount, especially since Badiashile has not played more than 22 league matches in any season since 2022-2023.
Badiashile joined Chelsea in January 2023 from Monaco for £35 million, amid expectations that he would become a key pillar in the team's defense.
However, injuries and a decline in form led to him falling out of favor with the succession of managers who coached the team, before becoming surplus to the plans of current head coach Xabi Alonso.