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Xabi Alonso will take charge of Chelsea at Stamford Bridge for the first time when they face Real Sociedad in a friendly on Saturday.
The Blues have endured a mixed run of results during pre-season so far, having beaten Western Sydney Wanderers and AC Milan, but suffered defeats against Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur.
Alonso’s side were also held to a draw by Johor Darul Ta’zim in their most recent friendly, and the Spaniard will be desperate to see his side return to winning ways at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
In the meantime, though, it appears that one member of Alonso’s squad could be on his way to Italy.
As per Fabrizio Romano, Italian side Napoli have agreed a deal to sign centre-back Benoit Badiashile from the Blues.
The report claims that the Serie A giants have agreed a deal to sign Badiashile on loan for the upcoming season, for an initial fee of around £2.57 million plus a further £0.86 million in add-ons.
Badiashile played a bit-part role for Chelsea last term (Photo: Franco Romano/Alamy)
Napoli will also have the option to sign the player permanently for approximately £23 million at the end of the campaign, Romano says.
Badiashile, 25, joined Chelsea from French outfit Monaco back in 2023 and has since made a total of 71 appearances for the west London side across all competitions.
The Frenchman has never established himself as a guaranteed starter at Stamford Bridge, though, and started just six of Chelsea’s 38 Premier League games last term.
Badiashile’s impending departure will following Trevoh Chalobah’s exit, with the Englishman having departed to join fellow Italian side Como.
The two-time france international is under contract in London until the end of the 2029/30 campaign, but it appears that he will spend the upcoming campaign in Italy, and possibly never return to Stamford Bridge.