AS Monaco centre-back Benoit Badiashile is in London to undergo a medical ahead of a potential January Chelsea transfer, according to Football London.
An earlier report from Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano suggested that Chelsea and Monaco had reached a full agreement for Badiashile.
The Blues reportedly agreed to pay €38million, including add-ons, for the 21-year-old.
Badiashile himself is also said to have agreed personal terms with Chelsea and is expected to sign a long-term six-and-a-half-year deal (until June 2029).
Football London now claims that Badiashile is in London for a medical.
If nothing goes wrong, the centre-back will be Chelsea’s second January signing after young striker David Datro Fofana who joined from Norwegian side Molde.
This would also be Chelsea’s third centre-back signings, having already brought in Wesley Fofana and Kalidou Koulibaly in the summer.
Fofana’s injury absence, which has been longer than initially hoped, likely plays a big part in the club’s decision to invest in another defender.
Koulibaly’s inconsistent form might have been a factor as well. Despite his experience, the Senegal international seems to need more time to adapt to the Premier League.
However, even if Chelsea were to have all their centre-back options available, Badiashile would still have plenty to offer.
First of all, he is a left-footed centre-back, which Chelsea do not really have in their current squad (except for when Marc Cucurella plays in a back-three system).
At his age, Badiashile could also be a solution when Chelsea inevitably need to replace either Koulibaly or Thiago Silva in the future.
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