Chelsea are reportedly pushing to secure a deal for Hellas Verona midfielder Reda Belahyane.
Despite sitting in fourth position in the Premier League table, there is the prospect of upheaval in the Blues squad during the final one-and-a-half weeks of the January transfer window.
Midfield has become a particular area of concern due to recent injuries to Romeo Lavia and Enzo Fernandez, club officials seemingly against recalling the likes of Andrey Santos and Lesley Ugochukwu from their respective loan spells.
Furthermore, Chelsea have also been in dialogue with several Serie A clubs regarding the sale of Cesare Casadei, who remains highly likely to return to his homeland.
Once a deal is finalised the former Inter Milan youngster, Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio claims that Chelsea will attempt to get a replacement through the door.
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Belahyane on brink of Stamford Bridge transfer?
As per the report, the West Londoners are keen to sign Belahyane as a direct alternative to Casadei.
The 20-year-old has been a regular in the Verona midfield during 2024-25, making 15 starts and five substitute outings in Serie A.
Chelsea officials are looking to wrap up a deal worth €15m (£12.7m), a similar fee that they hope to generate through the sale of Casadei.
Verona's stance on the matter is not revealed, yet they may realistically be against the sale of a key man when they sit in the relegation zone.
That said, Verona paid in the region of just £400,000 when signing Belahyane from Nice 12 months ago.
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Is an immediate switch to Chelsea expected?
There is no indication in the report that Chelsea would be looking to loan out Belahyane should he be allowed to move to the club.
Although the finances surrounding the deal will need to make sense, it appears that Belahyane would be viewed as a backup squad member for the second half of the season.
During his professional career, he has made just 30 senior outings, initially accumulating 301 minutes across eight matches for Nice.
The French-born youngster has already earned one cap for Morocco, that coming in an Africa Cup of Nations fixture in October.
Darren Plant
