Chelsea

Chelsea

Premier League • England

European suitors to use January war chest on ‘priority’ Chelsea raid; ‘good relationship’ to aid surprise deal

Benoit Badiashile and Carney Chukwuemeka of Chelsea

A 2023 Chelsea signing could end his Stamford Bridge spell early, as he has reportedly emerged as a ‘priority’ target for Ligue 1 side Lyon.

Chelsea have completely revamped their squad since a Todd Boehly-led consortium took control of the club in May 2022. They have sold a host of big names and also spent over £1billion on new players, completing mega-money deals for the likes of Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk, Moises Caicedo and Christopher Nkunku.

Chelsea’s strategy of signing young players on ultra-long contracts – some lasting until June 2031 – was always going to be a gamble. And while some players look like they will play an important role in Chelsea’s long-term future, others have struggled to make a significant impact.

Benoit Badiashile is one of those players who has had a mixed time in West London so far. Having joined in a £35m deal from Monaco in January, the centre-back missed Chelsea’s first 12 games of the current campaign after struggling with hamstring and groin problems.

Badiashile returned to fitness in late October, but he then had to settle for a place on the bench. Luckily for the defender though, he has now earned Mauricio Pochettino’s trust, managing a full 90 minutes in four out of Chelsea’s last five games. Badiashile has been helped by the injury to captain Reece James, which has seen fellow centre-half Axel Disasi move to right-back.

Even though Badiashile is now picking up the game time he expected at Chelsea, speculation continues to swirl about a move away from the Premier League.

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Throughout November, AC Milan were consistently backed to try and sign the 22-year-old in January. And this culminated in the Italian giants submitting an offer for him on December 4, though this was swiftly rejected by Chelsea.

Rather than heading to Italy, it looks like Badiashile might return to his native France this winter by joining Lyon. According to French source Foot Mercato, Lyon are ‘very interested’ in snapping him up next month.

Benoit Badiashile a ‘priority’ signing for one club

Club chiefs have landed on Badiashile as a ‘priority’ target, with their defence in need of reinforcements. And Lyon’s owners have reportedly given the club a significant January budget worth €50m (£43m) to help them sign players such as Badiashile.

Lyon have a better chance at striking an agreement than Milan, too. That is because they have a ‘good relationship’ with Chelsea, thanks to the work that went on behind the scenes in the Malo Gusto transfer.

The only trouble for Lyon will be convincing Chelsea to sell Badiashile. That is because he is still relatively new to the club and must be given more time to prove he can be a key first-team member for years to come.

One solution for Lyon could be to loan the former France U21 international for the rest of the campaign, though this would admittedly force them to dip back into the market for another centre-half over the summer.

Meanwhile, sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk that Chelsea are battling Real Madrid for what would be a very exciting addition to Pochettino’s squad.