Leicester City set to secure Chelsea transfer agreement despite late hijack attempt

Italian prodigy Cesare Casadei is on the verge of landing at the King Power Stadium despite Genoa’s best efforts to sign him

Leicester City’s Championship squad may look strong – but it could be about to get even stronger.

The Foxes kicked off their 2023-24 season back in the second tier on Sunday with a 2-1 win over Midlands rivals Coventry City, but it was the strength of Enzo Maresca’s bench that left many in awe.

City’s new Italian head coach had the likes of Patson Daka, Kelechi Iheanacho, Dennis Praet, James Justin, Marc Albrighton and Timothy Castagne – just to name a few – and eventually it was a player who had been on the pitch from the start in Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall who dragged them over the line for the victory with a brace.

Premier League veterans such as Jamie Vardy, Wilfred Ndidi, Harry Winks and Ricardo Pereira were all selected in Maresca’s starting 11, but there is expected to be interested in some of his squad before the September 1 transfer deadline and there already is now.

There is a clear plan in place though to add fresh faces to the likes of Conor Coady, Winks, Callum Doyle, Mads Hermansen and Stephy Mavididi that have already arrived at the King Power Stadium, and the next arrival to come through the door looks to be on his way.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Leicester are all set to complete a loan move for Chelsea youngster Cesare Casadei after a long-standing interest from Maresca.

The 20-year-old has featured in pre-season for the Blues before their Premier League campaign begins but they were always expected to let the young Italian depart, with the Foxes making their interest clear all summer.

However, Serie A outfit Genoa tried to hijack the move, per Romano, but it has all been agreed to send Casadei out for a second stint in the Championship.

Who is Cesare Casadei?

Chelsea signed Casadei from Inter Milan in 2022 for an initial fee of £12.6 million, and after being dominant in under-21’s football for the Blues for half a season he was sent into the Championship with Reading for the remainder of the campaign.

The young Italian played 15 times for the Royals in the second tier and even though they were eventually relegated to League One, Casadei impressed in the middle of the park.

His stock rose exponentially though over the summer as he helped Italy to the final of the FIFA Under-20’World Cup, and in that tournament he scored seven times and assisted twice to win the Golden Ball and Golden Boot.

After appearances for Chelsea’s first-team in pre-season, it was decided that Casadei needs to head out on loan again, and they have found an ideal landing spot for the 20-year-old at Leicester.

Where will Cesare Casadei fit in at Leicester?

Going off Leicester’s first game of the season, the obvious role for Casadei would be to replace Ndidi in one of the two advanced midfielder roles.

The Nigeria international has primarily been a defensive midfielder for Leicester but with Harry Winks playing as a pivot, it has given Ndidi the chance to play in one of the ‘half-space’ roles alongside Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

Ndidi bombed forward a lot against Coventry but along with the fact he is attracting interest from the likes of Fenerbahce so he’s not likely to be at the club after the transfer window closes, it’s not a role that he has the attributes to naturally be a success in.

Casadei though does – the FIFA Under-20’s World Cup showed that he has an eye for goal in and around the box and he is a creative presence, so he would be a natural fit as an ‘eight’ under Maresca and it’s clear to see why he’s pushed for his signing so much.