Chelsea set to sign Badiashile from Monaco: The state of play

Stuart Telford

• Updated: 23 May 2023 09:00 CDT
• 3 min read

Chelsea look set to beat Juventus and others to the signature of Monaco's highly-rated young France centre-back Benoit Badiashile from Monaco.

Badiashile, who was capped for France before the World Cup but didn't make the plane to Qatar, is a hulking left-footed centre-back who plugs a particular gap in the Blues defence.

Chelsea have reportedly bid between €35-€40 million for the 21-year-old, who also has 47 youth international caps for his country.

READ: Who is Benoit Badiashile? The Monaco star wanted by Chelsea

Negotiations are progressing well, with Badiashile reportedly keen to swap the principality for West London and try his hand at the Premier League. There is an agreement in principle on terms, which haven't been disclosed.

A number of clubs were interested in Badiashile, with Juve joined by West Ham and Sevilla in his pursuit, while Newcastle bid for him earlier this year before signing Sven Botman from Lille for €37m.

The Blues have long been linked with a move for RB Leipzig and Croatia man Josko Gvardiol, but following his performances at the World Cup the 20-year-old's asking price has skyrocketed.

READ: The five Chelsea players who could leave in January

Chelsea made Marc Cucurella the most expensive left-back of all time last summer whilst the fee they paid Leicester for Wesley Fofana has only been beaten by the €87m Manchester United paid the Fixes for Harry Maguire in 2019 among centre-backs.

But Cucurella prefers hugging the touchline while Fofana is right-footed. Although Kalidou Koulibaly is happy with that profile at left centre-back, the 31-year-old is otherwise incompatible with Todd Boehly's "Vision 2030" for the club.

Clement: 'always happy when window shuts'

Badiashile's age (21), and positional versatility, should please both Boehly and head coach Graham Potter, with the latter often switching between three- and four-man defences, both of which Badiashile can play in.

"As a coach, we're always happy when the transfer window shuts," said Monaco coach Philippe Clement of Badiashile.

"We'll see. It depends on the situations, if they're interesting for the club or not. The most important thing for me is that the players have their minds here, and that's the case."