Cesare Casadei and Reda Belahyane (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein, Simone Arveda/Getty Images)
Chelsea are reportedly eyeing the potential signing of another elite young talent in the form of Hellas Verona midfielder Reda Belahyane.
The highly-rated 20-year-old has caught the eye in Serie A and looks set to become a target for Chelsea.
It looks like that might depend on whether or not the blues are able to offload Cesare Casadei this January, with Belahyane rated at €12m as his replacement, according to Totmercatoweb.
Chelsea fans may not know much about Belahyane yet, but the France-born Moroccan international is surely someone with a huge future in the game.
Despite only being 20 years old, Belahyane is already a regular in this defensive midfield role for Verona, and has provided two assists for his side so far this season.
Chelsea could replace Cesare Casadei with Reda Belahyane
Chelsea fans will no doubt be hoping this deal works out as they know all too well from Casadei’s struggles at Stamford Bridge that some young players don’t always reach their potential.
CFC’s current owners have invested heavily in some exciting prospects, but while the likes of Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo and Malo Gusto have had plenty of success, there have also been a few missteps.
Mykhailo Mudryk is probably the best example, though Casadei is another one that hasn’t really lived up to expectationsand it makes sense that he could leave.
Chelsea fans will be hoping that Belahyane can prove to be the real deal, but at the same time, it’s not like he’s going to be first choice straight away.
Enzo Maresca already has a good number of midfield options, so if Belahyane does come in, he could initially go out on loan and have more time to develop before he is expected to hit the bridge.
