Benoit Badiashile looks set to become the sixth player to be sold by Chelsea this summer, as Napoli move quickly to bolster their defence after injuries to multiple central defenders.
Chelsea have already offloaded five players to the tune of more than £160m, if all goes to plan. Marc Cucurella, Tyrique George, Andrey Santos and Jimmy-Jay Morgan have all been sold permanently.
Chelsea have 10 centre-backs – who are YOU getting rid of? ❌
Colwill and Acheampong are 'untouchable'.
Wesley Fofana of Chelsea with team mate Trevoh Chalobah
Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images
Josh Acheampong
Levi Colwill
Jorrel Hato
Wesley Fofana
Trevoh Chalobah
Mamadou Sarr
Benoit Badiashile
Aaron Anselmino
Tosin Adarabioyo
Axel Disasi
Alejandro Garnacho has joined Aston Villa on loan with a conditional obligation, one that is easily met. That would see Aston Villa pay a permanent fee worth £43m for the Argentina winger next summer.
Plenty of cash has arrived at Stamford Bridge already, then. More could arrive with plenty of others to be sold in the next five weeks, and the sixth departure looks imminent – in the form of Benoit Badiashile.
READ MORE:Where Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson rank in Chelsea’s eldest signings
Napoli set to sign Benoit Badiashile on a loan-to-buy deal
Badiashile has managed just 71 appearances for Chelsea since his £35m move from Monaco in the summer of 2023. The left-footed defender has failed to prove his worth, and now, centre-backs must go.
FBL-ENG-FACUP-HULL-CHELSEA
Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP via Getty Images
Chelsea have 10 central defenders, even before they eventually sign Maxence Lacroix. Without added game time in Europe, Chelsea need to offload four or five defenders before the end of the summer.
Badiashile looks set to be the first to go. Napoli have been linked with the Frenchman, and now, Italian reporter Luca Cerchione has confirmed the details of Napoli’s loan-to-buy bid, which has been accepted.
“Loan for €3m, buyout option set at €20m plus bonuses. Five-year deal at €2.5m net plus bonuses. These are the figures of the agreement that director Manna has reached with Chelsea for Benoît Badiashile.”
Benoit Badiashile of Chelsea
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
In pounds, that will see Chelsea receive a total of £19.7m if Napoli do activate the permanent clause within Badiashile’s loan deal. The defender is currently three years into a seven-year deal at Chelsea.
The book profit Chelsea would receive if Napoli activate clause
With a permanent fee of around £17m set to be received by Chelsea if Napoli do sign Badiashile beyond his loan spell next summer, does that mean Chelsea receive a profit on their initial £35m outlay?
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Tosin Adarabioyo and Benoit Badiashile of Chelsea react
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Player amortisation only stretches over five years, even if a contract in question – like Badiashile’s – is longer than five years. Per year, Badiashile’s contract is worth £7m, and he’s three years into that deal.
That means, this summer, anything over £14m would be a profit. If the clause is met next summer, Badiashile would enter the final year of his amortisation period and hand Chelsea a profit of £10m.
Decent business by the Blues, but it is a risk. It all hinges on whether Napoli will activate the clause in Badiashile’s loan deal at the end of the 2026-27 season. But Chelsea have now accepted the offer.
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