Why Juventus now look unlikely to sign Chelsea youngster Gianfranco Zola really likes

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Chelsea have done a lot of business with Italian clubs in recent transfer windows.

For example, during the summer, Chelsea sold Romelu Lukaku to Napoli after loaning him to AS Roma last year.

In 2023, they also allowed Christian Pulisic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek to join AC Milan in permanent deals.

Since then, Benoit Badiashile has been linked to AC Milan, while Cesare Casadei is also thought to be attracting interest from Italy.

• READ MORE: Cesare Casadei shares the major difference between Enzo Maresca and other managers

Juventus not prioritising Cesare Casadei

Juventus are one Italian club who seem to appreciate Casadei, who was once on the books of their rivals Inter Milan.

According to Tuttomercatoweb, Juventus spoke to Chelsea in the summer about signing Casadei.

However, the same outlet claims that their interest in the 21-year-old has now cooled and that they are prioritising signing a defender rather than a midfielder at this moment in time.

It has been reported that Feyenoord are keen on Casadei, so they could be one option for the Italian if he decides to leave Chelsea in January.

Gianfranco Zola wants Cesare Casadei to stay at Chelsea

Most Chelsea fans will not be too disappointed if Casadei does leave the club. Since arriving at Stamford Bridge in 2022, the former Inter player has not made any sort of impact.

This season, Casadei has failed to make a single appearance in the Premier League under Enzo Maresca.

Gianfranco Zola, though, would be sad to see him go. Zola spoke about Casadei last month and said: “The competition is strong in Chelsea, but strong competition makes a strong player. I hope he can make it.”

However, it makes sense for the Italy U21 international to leave west London, at least temporarily, after his lack of game time this season.

With Maresca having Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Romeo Lavia and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to call upon, Casadei will continue to be overlooked by the Chelsea boss. As things stand, though, a move to Juventus looks unlikely for Casadei as they focus on bringing in a new defender.