Benoit Badiashile in action for AS Monaco.
According to David Ornstein of The Athletic (subscription required), Chelsea have reached a transfer agreement to sign AS Monaco defender Benoit Badiashile in the January transfer window.
The report further states that a deal worth in the region of £32.8m-£33.7m has been agreed upon, with personal terms on a long-term contract agreed. The medical is scheduled in the process as well.
A few days ago, it was reported in the same publication that Chelsea are looking to sign a left-sided defender, with Badiashile being one of the leading names. It is quick work by the club that the player’s transfer is over the line just at the start of this transfer window.
It is a position the Blues have been looking at since the summer window when they agreed on personal terms with Croatia defender Josko Gvardiol, but the fees were too high. They have been linked with him again since that time, but the asking price has gone beyond €90m now.
It remains to be seen whether Chelsea will go back and aim to sign Gvardiol after Badiashile’s arrival or look at bolstering other positions in the squad.
The young Frenchman has similar qualities and attributes when compared to Gvardiol though. He is excellent on the ball, possesses great pace for recovery runs, reads the game well defensively and is physically strong.
For a player who is only 21 now, Badiashile has a host of experience playing first-team football for Monaco. He has made 135 appearances in all competitions for the Ligue 1 side. So, as much as age-wise he is young, the experience of playing top-flight football is there.
Once this transfer is done, it would be the third deal which will get over the line in January, with David Datro Fofana and Andrey Santos also due to be Chelsea players this month. It is a good start to the window for the Blues. They would hope for one or two more additions in key areas to make the squad able enough to compete on all fronts.
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