According to reports, Chelsea and Monaco defender Benoit Badiashile have agreed to personal terms, and a January transfer deal is moving quickly. In the summer, the Blues spent £271 million on a slew of new players, but they might go back to the transfer market in the new year to add to their roster. Before making his first-team debut against Paris Saint-Germain in 2018, Badiashile went through the Monaco academy.
The center-back has experience playing in the Champions League and Europa League and has made 135 appearances for Monaco. Chelsea is impressed by Badiashile’s calmness on the ball, aggression, and imposing aerial qualities, according to CBS Sports Golazo. In addition, they might try to close the deal in January.
Born in the French city of Limoges in 2001, Badiashile went on to compete for his nation in five different age groups. Before making his senior France debut in a September Nations League match against Austria, he earned 17 caps for the France under-21 team. The player, who is now 21 years old, earned his second cap against Denmark three days later, but he was not in the France team that made it to the World Cup final in Qatar.
This season, Badiashile has played in 11 Ligue 1 games and started five Europa League group games for Monaco, which finished second to Ferencvaros. The French club will now face Bayer Leverkusen in a two-leg play-off match in February. The winner of the tie will advance to the Europa League’s knockout stages. At the end of May, Todd Boehly took control of Chelsea.
Since then, the club has spent a lot of money to sign players like Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Marc Cucurella, Wesley Fofana, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. However, Boehly fired Thomas Tuchel after a subpar start to the season and appointed Graham Potter as manager instead. After a successful first season at Stamford Bridge, Potter led his team to the Champions League last 16 after they won Group E.
The Blues, on the other hand, have dropped to eighth in the Premier League table after going five games without a victory prior to the World Cup. When Chelsea played Bournemouth for the first time this week, they won 2-0. Potter will also be eager to earn points in the upcoming weeks’ matches against Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, and Manchester City, respectively.