Chelsea agree €38m deal to sign 21-year-old French international: Reports

Chelsea have reached an agreement with Ligue 1 club AS Monaco to sign Benoit Badiashile for a sum of around €38 million, according to The Athletic.

It has only been hours since the winter transfer window opened, but Chelsea are wasting no time in the market. Having already agreed deals to sign David Datro Fofana and Andrey Santos, they are on the verge of completing another signing.

A new left-sided central defender has been on the Blues' agenda for quite a while now. They were previously linked with a move for Josko Gvardiol, but it recently emerged that they have turned their attention towards Badiashile.

Graham Potter's side have since engaged in negotiations with Monaco over a deal for the defender. After making steady progress in their efforts, they now seem to have struck a deal.

According to the aforementioned source, Chelsea have reached a total agreement with Monaco to sign Badiashile. They are now in line to acquire the France international's services for a deal worth around €37-38 million.

🚨 EXCL: Chelsea reach total agreement with AS Monaco to sign centre-back Benoit Badiashile. Fee €37/38m - medical being scheduled. If all goes to plan 21yo France international will sign a long-term contract already in place @TheAthleticFC #CFC #ASMonaco theathletic.com/4049143/2023/0…

The Stamford Bridge outfit have already booked the 21-year-old in for a medical, as per the report. The player is now expected to put pen to paper on a long-term contract with the English giants barring any last-minute hiccups.

Badiashile rose through the ranks in Monaco's youth setup before making his debut in their 4-0 league loss to PSG in November 2018. He has since made 135 appearances across all competitions for the Ligue 1 outfit, contributing towards nine goals in the process.

He is among several other young defenders Chelsea have looked at to bolster their options in defense. Eintracht Frankfurt's Evan N'Dicka and Bayer Leverkusen's Piero Hincapie were also reportedly under consideration.

The Frenchman will now add further depth to Potter's options in defense, which is stacked. It is worth noting that the Blues already have Thiago Silva, Kalidou Koulibaly, Wesley Fofana, and Trevoh Chalobah in their ranks.

Chelsea are keen to sign a midfielder

Badiashile is expected to be a Chelsea player in no time, but there could be more incomings at Stamford Bridge. The London giants are said to be keen to add a new midfielder to their ranks this month.

Chelsea are now in direct talks with Benfica for Enzo Fernández. Chelsea want to offer huge fee instead of paying release clause in one solution 🚨🔵 #CFC

Benfica always asked full €120m clause.
Understand Enzo already said yes to Chelsea.

#LFC or #MUFC made no bid, as of now. https://t.co/Kdvz5Eargi

The Blues are said to be in talks with Benfica over a deal for Argentina international Enzo Fernandez. However, the Portuguese giants are adamant that they will have to activate the €120 million release clause in the player's contract.

Benfica's stance could make Fernandez an unattainable target for Potter's side this month. However, there are suggestions that they are eyeing his Argentina teammate Alexis Mac Allister as an alternative.