£12m Chelsea man now has two clubs to choose from as Europa League side makes last-minute transfer move

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Given the size of Chelsea’s first team squad and the quality at their disposal, it was always going to be difficult to give everyone the game time they feel like they deserve.

Enzo Maresca has utilised the Conference League this season to hand out minutes to those who have struggled to feature in the Premier League under him.

However, there are no European exploits until March now, and this could see a number of players with very little to do as far as playing goes for the next few weeks.

Reports have continued to state that Christopher Nkunku is unhappy with his situation at Stamford Bridge right now, as he still struggles to keep Nicolas Jackson out of the starting side.

Lazio make last-minute move to sign Cesare Casadei from Chelsea

Another player who has been forced to wait for Conference League nights to rack up his minutes this season is Cesare Casadei.

It was reported that Casadei had given the green light to a move to Torino, with it feeling as if his time in West London was coming to an end.

According to Di Marzio though, another Serie A club has entered the race to sign him this month, with Lazio registering an interest.

The report goes on to say that Chelsea are holding out for a fee of around £12m, recalling a large amount of what they paid to sign him back in 2023.

Lazio currently sit fourth in the Italian League, whilst also competing in the Europa League this season.

What has Enzo Maresca said about Cesare Casadei?

Despite hardly featuring him this season, Maresca has been full of praise for Casadei after some of his appearances in Europe.

After a win against Gent, Maresca said: “Cesare played very good against Barrow and even better tonight. I am very happy with the way he is playing. I had Cesare last year and he was playing a little bit in different position.

“This year, we are using him like a holding midfielder. The reason why is because I think we go in the direction where the middle you need physical players. Cesare is very big, physically strong and helps us when we want to press.

“On the ball, he is improving a lot. Tonight he played one touch, so we are very happy. For him, it’s the same as the rest; many things he can do better but he is in the right direction.”

Maresca will have a greater knowledge of the midfielder than most after having him on loan for half of last season at Leicester City in the Championship.

However, it looks as if he has not had the confidence in him to utilise him in the Premier League, and if Casadei wants regular minutes it looks as if it is going to be elsewhere.