Chelsea told to pay £52 million to sign Kepa Arrizabalaga replacement: Reports
Chelsea have reportedly been told to dish out £52 million to rope in Inter Milan star Andre Onana this summer.
Onana, 27, has established himself as Inter's first-choice goalkeeper since arriving on a free switch from Ajax in 2022. So far, he has registered 19 clean sheets in 41 overall appearances for his club, conceding 36 goals in the process.
A right-footed sweeper keeper, the former Barcelona youth player has emerged as a top transfer target for Chelsea in the past couple of months. Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino is keen to replace Kepa Arrizabalaga as his number one.
According to Sport Italia journalist Alfredo Pedulla, Inter have clarified that they will not provide a transfer fee discount to the Blues in their pursuit of Onana. They are, however, interested in entertaining offers in the region of £52 million.
The Nerazzurri are unwilling to include any Chelsea star in a player-plus-cash deal for their shot-stopper, who guided them to their first UEFA Champions League final in 13 years. Meanwhile, they have expressed an interest in retaining Blues loanee Romelu Lukaku's services and snapping up centre-back Trevoh Chalobah ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.
The Blues, on the other hand, are hoping to make the most of their brilliant working relationship with Inter to get a deal for Onana over the line. Apart from the Lukaku loan, they also roped in Cesare Casadei for £16 million last summer.
In their search for a starting goalkeeper, the Premier League club are also keeping tabs on Dortmund's Gregor Kobel, Valencia's Giorgi Mamardashvili and Brentford's David Raya, as per Evening Standard. They were also monitoring AC Milan shot-stopper Mike Maignan earlier this month but have been put off by his extortionate £80 million asking price.
Chelsea make summer decision on Cesare Casadei's future: Reports
According to Calciomercato, Chelsea are hoping to loan out Cesare Casadei to a Premier League side next campaign. Brighton & Hove Albion and Aston Villa have expressed an interest to snap up the Italian on a temporary deal.
Casadei, 20, turned heads with his excellent outings at the FIFA U20 World Cup in Argentina. He guided his side to a runners-up finish, contributing seven goals and two assists in seven appearances and bagging the Golden Ball award.
Since moving to the west London outfit last summer, Casadei has netted five goals in 13 U21 matches for his side. He was loaned out to Reading in January and scored once in 15 EFL Championship appearances last season.