Chelsea reach €38m agreement over Badiashile transfer

Ronan Murphy

• Updated: 1 Jan 2023 21:06 GMT
• 2 min read

Chelsea have agreed to sign defender Benoit Badiashile from Monaco for a fee between €37 million and €38m.

Transfer expert David Ornstein has confirmed the transfer, with the centre-back having agreed a long-term deal with the Blues.

Badiashile is now set to undergo a medical before being officially announced as a Chelsea player, with the transfer window having opened on January 1.

Graham Potter's side had been in the market for a new centre-back and looked set to sign Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig, but a deal could not be reached with the Red Bulls over the Croatia World Cup star.

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A senior international for France, 21-year-old Badiashile will provide another excellent option at centre-back for Chelsea, competing with Kalidou Koulibaly, Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah, and Thiago Silva for places in Potter's backline.

The Blues had also considered moves for Eintracht Frankfurt's Evan Ndicka and Bayer Leverkusen's Piero Hincapie before deciding to move for Badiashile.

He will be Chelsea's second signing of the January transfer window, with David Datro Fofana arriving for €10m from Molde. Fofana could be loaned out this month, with PSV interested in a short-term deal.